Which Chinese Court Hears Your Claim Against a Supplier? The Rules Explained

Before you sue a supplier in China, you need to know which court will hear the case. If you file in the wrong court, it must send the case on to the right one (Civil Procedure Law (in Chinese) art. 37). The supplier can also object to the court when it files its defence, and the ruling on that objection can be appealed (arts. 130 and 157). Both cost time.

The rules below apply to "foreign-related" cases. A case is foreign-related if, for example, you are a foreign company or are based outside mainland China. Cases with parties in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan follow the same rules (SPC Provisions on Foreign-Related Jurisdiction, art. 7).

Question 1: Does your contract have an arbitration clause?

If the contract has a valid arbitration clause, the dispute goes to arbitration. A Chinese court will not hear it, unless the other side fails to raise the clause before the first hearing. Arbitration is a private hearing before arbitrators instead of judges. The rest of this page applies only if there is no valid arbitration clause.

Question 2: Which city?

For a contract claim, you sue where the supplier is based or where the contract was performed (Civil Procedure Law art. 24). For a company, "where it is based" usually means its registered address, shown on its business licence.

You and the supplier can also choose a Chinese court in writing (art. 277). The wording of art. 277 does not require the chosen place to have an actual connection with the dispute. The rule for purely domestic contracts does (art. 35).

If the supplier answers your claim without objecting to the court, the court is treated as having jurisdiction (art. 278).

Question 3: Which level of court?

China has four levels of court. Most foreign-related cases start in one of the lower two, and the amount in dispute usually decides which.

The Supreme People's Court also has its own International Commercial Court. It can hear a first-instance international commercial case if the parties chose the Supreme People's Court and the amount is RMB 300 million or more.

Courts named for foreign-related cases

A provincial high court can name one or more courts to hear foreign-related cases for several districts or counties. It needs the Supreme People's Court's approval, and it must publish the arrangement (art. 4). So the court for your case may not be the one in the supplier's own district.

Some of these arrangements date from before 2023 and are still listed as in force. Others were made in 2023. Examples from the main export provinces follow.

The intermediate courts of Suzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Xiamen, Changchun, Quanzhou, Wuxi and Nanning each have an international commercial court division. The Supreme People's Court has said these divisions can keep their centralised jurisdiction. In Xiamen, the Intermediate Court said in July 2026 that basic-level courts have heard these cases below RMB 40 million since 2023.

These arrangements change. Before filing, check the latest notice from the provincial high court.

Cases with their own courts

Some disputes are outside these rules (art. 6).

• Maritime cases go to maritime courts, such as the Xiamen, Ningbo and Guangzhou Maritime Courts. A dispute about carriage of goods by sea is a maritime case.
• Intellectual property cases follow separate rules.
• Some online disputes in Hangzhou go to the Hangzhou Internet Court. Since 1 November 2025, its scope has been narrower.

Before you file

These four things decide the court and the first steps.

• The supplier's exact Chinese name and registered address, from its business licence or the company register.
• The contract's dispute clause: arbitration, a chosen court, or nothing.
• The amount you claim, in RMB.
• Whether you want to freeze the supplier's bank account first. For that you need its bank account number. See freezing a supplier's account.

You can file from abroad. Under the Supreme People's Court's 2021 rules for cross-border litigants, a foreign company can register on the court's online platform and file online. The court can also witness your appointment of a Chinese lawyer by video. Then that appointment needs no notarisation or authentication.

Other documents from abroad may still need formalities. Which ones apply depends on the law of the country where they were made and its treaties with China. A lawyer should confirm this for your documents. See hiring a China lawyer from abroad.

Not sure which court fits your case?

Send a short summary and the supplier's Chinese company name. Once I've checked that I don't act for the other side, I'll ask for the contract and the last message from the supplier. I will tell you which court or arbitration body fits, where you stand and what your options are. Suing a supplier in court or arbitration →

General information. It is not advice on a particular matter. Sources: SPC Provisions on Several Issues Concerning the Jurisdiction of Foreign-Related Civil and Commercial Cases (Fa Shi [2022] No. 18), arts. 1 to 4, 6 and 7; Civil Procedure Law (2023 amendment), arts. 24, 35, 37, 130, 277 and 278; SPC Provisions on Establishing International Commercial Courts (Fa Shi [2023] No. 14), art. 2; SPC replies (2013) Min Si Ta Zi Nos. 75 and 76, and (2015) Min Si Ta Zi Nos. 14 and 25; Guangdong High Court approval Yue Gao Fa [2023] No. 11 and its Q&A of 25 December 2024; Zhejiang High Court announcement of 23 February 2023; SPC press Q&A of 15 November 2022; SPC provisions on online filing for cross-border litigants (Fa Fa [2021] No. 7); SPC Provisions on the Jurisdiction of Internet Courts (Fa Shi [2025] No. 14). Checked in October 2026. Translations are mine and unofficial. Check the originals before relying on them.