Adrian Liu · China-side legal work
Before Paying a Chinese Supplier: Contract, Payee and Factory Checks
Make a party map before treating different company names as interchangeable.
Put the names side by side
| Role | Record to identify | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Contract party | Contract, quotation and purchase terms | Which business undertakes the obligations? |
| Invoice issuer | Every version of the invoice | How does the issuer relate to the agreed transaction? |
| Payment recipient | Payment instructions and beneficiary details | Who requested this recipient and what supports the arrangement? |
| Factory or performer | Supplier and production information | Which business is expected to perform the work? |
Preserve the explanation—not just the latest invoice
Keep the correspondence that introduced each company or changed the bank instructions. Save the quotation, purchase order and earlier invoices. A statement that businesses are “in the same group” should be distinguished from records establishing their relationship.
Separate three different kinds of work
Company identity check: registration information for one business. Contract and payment review: the roles and documentation in a particular transaction. Supplier legal due diligence: broader agreed corporate and legal checks. Each answers a different question.
The existing contract-and-payment service covers one proposed transaction with up to three known related parties and up to 20 pages of contract, quotation and payment documents. It produces a party map, a document comparison and an action list. Bank account ownership verification, a full related-company investigation, on-site work and a complete contract rewrite are outside that stated scope.
Do not turn an incomplete search into certainty
A company record does not establish every relationship relevant to an order. The absence of a search result is not proof that there is no dispute or risk. A useful review explains what is supported, what is still alleged and what needs further confirmation before the next commitment.
When payment has already been sent
Keep the transfer confirmation, beneficiary details, payment instructions and full correspondence. Record what was promised and what has happened since. The starting point may now be a payment-recovery assessment, rather than a pre-payment check. Do not discard earlier records because a new repayment promise has arrived.
What to send first
Give a non-confidential outline of the proposed purchase, the known company names and your signing or payment deadline. Say whether payment has already been made. The document-sharing and review scope follow the conflict check.
Need the party and payment documents compared?
The contract and payment check is US$650 for the stated scope. Broader supplier legal due diligence starts from US$1,200.
The free step confirms fit, information needed and the proposed paid work. It is not document review or legal advice. Send a non-confidential outline first; sensitive documents follow after the conflict check and agreed sharing process.
Related services and reading
General service and preparation information, not advice on a particular transaction. The documents, parties, legal questions and scope are assessed for each instruction.