THE CHECKLIST / 01
Do the checks in this order.
The order matters. Product certificates, factory photographs and platform badges are difficult to evaluate until you know the exact legal entity behind them.
Freeze the Chinese legal identity
Ask for the supplier’s full Chinese registered name, 18-character Unified Social Credit Code, business licence and registered address. Keep the English brand or marketplace storefront as a separate alias.
The official registry accepts a company name or Unified Social Credit Code. An English trading name alone is not a stable search key, so do not start the rest of the review until the Chinese identity is fixed.
If this sits inside a formal know-your-supplier policy, know up front which parts of that policy China can actually answer: KYS asks four questions, and only two have public answers here.
Check the current public record
Search the exact identity in China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Record the query date, matched name and code, registration status, address, business scope and any visible change, abnormal-operation or penalty information relevant to the decision.
The registry itself says its search covers market-entity credit information and accepts a name or Unified Social Credit Code. Availability and displayed fields can change, so save a dated note instead of treating one screen as permanent truth.
Need a dated China-side search? Prepare a public-record check request →
Test the factory claim against the order
Manufacturing, production or processing wording in the registered business scope is a useful first-pass signal. It is not proof that the company operates the site, process or product line quoted to you.
Ask which legal entity will manufacture the goods, where the material production steps occur, and which current documents belong to that entity. A trading company can be a capable supplier. The avoidable risk is an undisclosed or unsupported relationship.
Paste the registered name and business scope into the free indicative tool →
Check the Australian obligations for this product
Company legitimacy does not make a product lawful to import or supply. The US International Trade Administration’s Australia guide distinguishes a general importer licence from permits for particular goods. Companies and individuals do not need the former, but may need the latter. Use ABF’s declaration guidance to check the clearance route, tariff classification and documents for your shipment.
For consumer goods, Product Safety Australia states that importers are suppliers and products must meet any relevant mandatory standard before supply. Biosecurity-sensitive goods must also be checked in BICON for conditions, documents, treatment or permit requirements.
Identify the exact model, materials, intended use and claims before deciding which Australian rule applies. A generic certificate for another model is not order-specific evidence.
Match the seller, invoice and bank beneficiary
Write down the legal entity on the quotation or contract, the entity named on the commercial invoice, the claimed manufacturer and the bank-account beneficiary. If the names differ, pause and ask for a plain written explanation plus evidence of the relationship.
A legitimate group may use a separate export company. Every different name needs a documented role. Confirm the relationship and payment authority through a contact you already know, not just the payment email. The order documents should allocate responsibility for quality, delay, refund and warranty.
Beneficiary, invoice or bank details do not line up? Use the payment-entity hold checklist →
DECISION TABLE / 02
What evidence should change the decision?
A capital figure alone cannot show how an order will be funded. In 46 selected platform records queried on 28 August 2026, 34.8% had matching paid-in and subscribed values; 37.0% had an empty paid-in field. These field values do not prove that funds were paid in. See the capital counts and sample limits →
| Question | Minimum useful evidence | Pause or escalate when |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the supplier? | Chinese legal name, Unified Social Credit Code and business licence | Only an English storefront or salesperson name is supplied |
| What is registered now? | Dated official-record match with status, address and scope | The identity does not match or a material record needs explanation |
| Who will make the goods? | Named production entity, site and product-specific process evidence | The entity or site changes when you ask for documents |
| Can the goods be supplied in Australia? | Product-specific standard, permit, labelling and test evidence where applicable | Required evidence is missing, expired or belongs to another model |
| Who receives the money? | Contract, invoice and beneficiary names that match or have a documented relationship | Payment is redirected to an unexplained person or third party |
METHOD / 03
How this guide was prepared
Prepared by Bao L. Zhou (Derrick). I run this desk alone, from Jinan, China. The initial source review was on 30 July 2026. Later checks are dated below. Each source has limits; product-specific evidence and on-site checks answer different questions.
Records reach us through licensed commercial data platforms that republish filings originating in the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. An absence on a platform is not proof of absence in the official record.
We did not inspect the supplier, factory or transaction described by any reader. This guide does not replace legal advice, product testing, an audit or transaction-specific due diligence. Before updating a claim, we re-open the relevant official source and record the review date.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 04
Official sources used for this guide
Product Safety Australia, BICON, ABF’s declaration guidance and the US trade guide were checked on 9 September 2026. The trade guide was published on 26 May 2026. The separate ABF requirements page returned no main text; its link is retained for reference, not as a successful new check. Other links retain their historical review dates. Use the current official requirements for your product and shipment.
| Official host | What buyers use it for | Result (3 of 3) |
|---|---|---|
www.gsxt.gov.cn | Company registry (GSXT) | 521 |
www.creditchina.gov.cn | Penalties, dishonesty lists | 412 |
sbj.cnipa.gov.cn | Trademark office | 403 |
credit.customs.gov.cn | Customs enterprise credit | 412 |
cx.cnca.cn | CCC certification queries | 521 |
wenshu.court.gov.cn | Court judgments | 200 |
zxgk.court.gov.cn | Court enforcement records | 200 (browser UA only) |
openstd.samr.gov.cn | National standards (GB) texts | 200 |
Control: www.gov.cn | Government host | 200 |
Control: www.baidu.com | Commercial host | 200 |
Five of eight verification hosts returned non-200 responses in these scripted requests. Both controls returned 200. This does not isolate the cause or test an interactive browser session. Results apply to this route and date; a 200 response alone does not prove that a search works.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity SystemOfficial Chinese market-entity credit search by name or Unified Social Credit Code. Step-by-step, including what a nil result means: how to search the registry.
- US International Trade Administration: Australia import requirementsGeneral import licensing and goods-specific permits. Published 26 May 2026; checked 9 September 2026.
- Australian Border Force: Import declarationsClearance routes, importer responsibility, classification and supporting documents. Checked 9 September 2026.
- Australian Border Force: Requirements to import goodsHistorical reference; no main text returned in the 9 September 2026 check.
- Product Safety Australia: Product safety standards and how to complyMandatory standards and the inclusion of importers in the supplier definition.
- Department of Agriculture: BICONBiosecurity conditions, supporting documents, treatment and permit checks.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 05
Four distinctions worth keeping clear
- Is an English company name enough?
- No. Ask for the full Chinese legal name and Unified Social Credit Code so the record can be matched reliably.
- Does an active registration mean the supplier is safe?
- No. It confirms a legal identity and visible record at a point in time, not product quality, capacity, delivery or payment safety.
- Is a trading company automatically a red flag?
- No. The important issue is whether its role, manufacturing relationship and contractual responsibility are disclosed and supported.
- Can a company check replace product testing or an audit?
- No. Registry review, product compliance evidence, sample testing and factory or quality audits answer different questions.