Buyer questionAnswered from the China side
Know your supplier: four questions and the evidence each needs.
Start with four questions: who is selling, what do dated records show, can the supplier meet your order, and how will you manage problems? A company record helps with the first two. Samples, site checks and order history address different gaps; none guarantees delivery.
KNOW YOUR SUPPLIER / 01
Decide what you need to know before collecting documents.
Give each question a source, a date and a person who will review the answer. A licence, certificate and sample serve different purposes.
What KYS is actually asking
Ask whether the named company is the party you expect to contract with, and which claims you can support with evidence. Do not assume that a storefront, invoice and payment account all belong to the same entity.
Set the scope before you start: the order, the unknowns, the evidence required and who can approve it. Your duties depend on the product, market and transaction; this guide is not a legal checklist.
Four questions to keep separate
Identity: who is the legal entity? Match the name and code against a dated company record. A matching record does not show that your contact has authority to act for it.
Recorded status: what is on file? Read registration status and relevant penalty or court records. Record the source, query date and any gaps. An empty search is not an all-clear.
Capability: can they make your order? Use written specifications, samples and a scoped production review. Registered business scope alone cannot establish equipment, staffing or capacity.
Conduct: how will problems be handled? Check references and your order history, and agree how defects or delays will be handled. Past performance does not guarantee the next order.
If the names or codes do not match, pause the decision and resolve the mismatch. A failed search may also mean the input or source is incomplete.
What changes when the supplier is registered in mainland China
Confirm the Chinese legal name. An English name can help find candidates in a commercial search tool. It does not confirm which mainland entity you are dealing with; ask for the Chinese name and 18-character code.
Use the Unified Social Credit Code. Copy the 18-character code from the business licence. Check its format, then match it to a company record. A valid checksum does not prove the entity exists.
Read the filed scope. It can help you frame questions about manufacturing and trade. It does not prove that the company operates a factory or holds every required permit. How to use scope wording.
Source access can vary. GSXT is the official enterprise information portal. If a query fails, keep that result separate from the company status. Our dated access observations describe specific tests, not every buyer connection.
What a record check can actually evidence
These are the KYS items that come back with a source and a date rather than an opinion:
Registration status. Read the status returned for the matched entity and the query date. A status label describes a filed state; it is not proof of current trading activity.
The name and code belong to the same entity. When a supplier gives you a name and a code that do not resolve to the same record, you have learned something important before any money moves.
Filed business scope. Compare it with the supplier claim and ask about differences. Manufacturing and trading wording can coexist; neither proves where your goods will be made.
Public signals. Read the actual entry, date and outcome before drawing a conclusion. A former name alone is not adverse evidence. How to interpret changes.
Ownership records are dated snapshots
A current shareholder list and a historical list answer different questions. Keep the dates, and check which list the source returned.
On 21–22 August 2026, I queried a commercial data platform for 45 Chinese manufacturers matched from the NHTSA list. This selected sample does not represent all Chinese suppliers.
| Record | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Current shareholders on file | 44 of 45 | 98% |
| Historical shareholders on file | 33 of 45 | 73% |
The query returned current shareholder records for 44 companies and historical records for 33. Presence of a historical entry does not establish the timing or meaning of each ownership change.
When ownership matters to your decision, compare the dated records and ask about relevant changes. Do not treat a change alone as a fraud finding.
Some lists returned exactly 20 entries, the page size. Counts may be incomplete. This is the same 45-company batch used elsewhere on the site: sample selection and method.
Evidence to request beyond the company record
Use these checks for the remaining questions:
Product quality. Agree a written specification and approved sample; inspect the goods against them.
Delivery performance. Review comparable order history and references. These cannot guarantee your next delivery.
Subcontracting. Ask who will make the goods and where. Agree any restrictions and how the production site will be checked.
Financial health. Financial reports may exist without being publicly available. Ask which documents the supplier can provide, their period and audit status. Financial records and their limits.
No adverse result means none was returned by that query. It does not establish that no adverse event exists or that the source is complete.
Where to start
Ask for the business licence and compare the name and code with the seller on your contract. The free tool offers local text checks and available company-query modes; read which mode you are using and any source-access limits.
Every line we deliver names its source and the date it was queried, and states what it cannot show. We verify records; we do not certify suppliers, and we do not audit factories except as a separately arranged on-site visit.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 02
Official sources for this page
The 2024 publicity regulation was re-read on 6 September 2026. Other official links are background references; they were not all rechecked this round. Check the relevant source and date before relying on a record.
- State Council: Provisional Regulation on Enterprise Information Publicity (2024 revision)Articles 8 and 9 cover annual filing and disclosure. Companies may keep some financial fields private; this does not mean financial reports do not exist.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (国家企业信用信息公示系统)The official registry portal. Access varies. A failed page load cannot establish a company status.
A dated, matched record supports a reading of filed facts. It does not establish capacity, authority to act or intent to perform.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions readers ask at this point
- What are the four KYS questions?
- Who is the legal entity, what do dated records show, can the supplier meet this order, and how will problems be handled. Each needs its own evidence.
- Can I run KYS with an English supplier name?
- An English name can surface candidates in a search tool. It cannot confirm which mainland entity you are dealing with. Ask for the Chinese legal name and the 18-character code.
- Are the shareholder records complete?
- Current records came back for 44 of 45 manufacturers and historical records for 33. Some lists stopped at the page size of 20 entries, so counts may be incomplete.
How we checked
Fill rates come from running our report process on real companies and counting how many of the twelve dimensions returned data on the date stated. The most recent query date on this page is 22 August 2026. Where a table carries its own date, that date governs.
The official pages we read are listed on this page with the date each was accessed, so every figure can be re-checked at source.
Being pushed to pay a deposit right now? The checks that matter before money moves take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
Need dated records for your supplier? Compare the record packs and their included checks, from $26.55. Select the scope you need; one pack does not cover every question on this page. See the delivery window before ordering.