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Identity decision guide

A Chinese supplier refuses to share its business licence. What should you do?

Refusal is not automatic proof of fraud, but without a Chinese legal name or USCC you cannot reliably identify the company behind the quotation.

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1. Ask for the minimum identity set

Request the current business licence or, at minimum, the exact Chinese legal name and 18-character Unified Social Credit Code. Explain that you need to match the contract, invoice, compliance documents, and payment beneficiary to the registered entity.

2. Search independently

Use the Chinese name or USCC to locate the company record. Compare status, province, address, establishment date, legal representative, and business scope. An English brand, website, or marketplace storefront is not a substitute for the registered identity.

3. Resolve whether you are speaking to a trader or intermediary

The contact may represent a trading company, exporter, sourcing agent, or factory that uses another entity for sales. Ask each party to state its legal role and identify which entity signs the contract, issues the invoice, manufactures the goods, and receives payment.

4. Do not move to payment with an unidentified counterparty

If the supplier still will not provide enough information to identify a legal entity, record the identity as unable to verify. Pause onboarding or payment until the counterparty and payment path can be checked.

FAQ

Common questions

Is a business licence private information in China?

Core company registration information is searchable through China's public enterprise-credit system. A supplier may still be cautious about documents, but it should be able to provide enough legal identity information for counterparty checks.

Can I verify a supplier using only its English name?

An English name is only a lead. Ask for the Chinese legal name or USCC, because unrelated companies can use similar English trading names.

What if the Alibaba profile shows a company name but the seller will not confirm it?

Treat the marketplace name as unconfirmed until it matches the business licence, registered entity, contract, and payment beneficiary.

Primary references

Official starting points

Use the original Chinese record and its access date. Coverage, availability, and update timing vary by system.

Next step

Search the identity information you have

Try the Chinese legal name, English alias, registration number, or USCC.

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