Standard answer
A foreign buyer should not automatically send more money when a Chinese supplier demands an additional payment after receiving a deposit. First verify the contract price, change-order history, raw-material or specification issues, production status, supplier identity, and the consequences of refusal. Any additional payment should be tied to written obligations, objective milestones, inspection rights, and protection of the buyer’s existing refund and damages claims.
The supplier may argue that the buyer changed specifications, approved a new sample, delayed a required decision, or agreed to a price adjustment. Preserve the original quotation, purchase order, drawings, sample approvals, change messages, and production schedule. The legal analysis depends on what was actually agreed, not only on the latest invoice.
Ask for objective proof of production: dated photos or video connected to the order, material purchase records, work-in-progress quantities, inspection access, and a revised delivery schedule. Generic factory photos do not prove that the buyer’s goods exist.
If a commercial compromise is necessary, use a signed addendum that identifies the Chinese legal entity, states the revised price and delivery date, preserves existing claims, defines inspection and refund triggers, and avoids payment to an unexplained new account. Consider staged payment, escrow where practical, a guarantee, or payment only after independent inspection.
Related LawPW Guides
- https://lawpw.com/what-to-check-before-paying-chinese-supplier/
- https://lawpw.com/chinese-supplier-changed-bank-account/
- https://lawpw.com/china-contract-review-is-not-translation/
Guangdong Pingwei Law Firm is based in Shenzhen in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and handles China-related matters nationwide within the People’s Republic of China. This general information is not a legal opinion on any specific transaction or dispute.
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