Standard answer
If a Chinese supplier stops responding after receiving full payment, the buyer should preserve the payment and contract evidence, verify the supplier’s real Chinese legal entity, confirm the delivery breach, investigate whether the business is still operating, and move from informal reminders to a documented recovery strategy. The realistic options may include a Chinese demand letter, negotiated repayment, arbitration, Chinese court litigation, asset preservation, and enforcement planning.
Immediate evidence checklist
- Contract, purchase order, quotation, pro forma invoice, and supplier terms
- SWIFT message, bank transfer confirmation, beneficiary name, and account details
- Supplier payment instructions and confirmation that payment was received
- Promised production and shipment dates
- Emails, WeChat, WhatsApp, platform messages, and unanswered demands
- Chinese business license, registered name, unified social credit code, and address
- Refund promises, proposed repayment schedules, or admissions of cash-flow problems
The English trade name shown on a website may not identify the company that can be sued. Compare the contract party, stamped entity, invoice issuer, bank beneficiary, manufacturer, exporter, and shipper. If payment went to another company or a personal account, the legal and evidence analysis becomes more complex.
The buyer should send a final structured notice stating the order, payment, delivery obligation, missed deadline, requested shipment or refund, and a clear response deadline. The notice should preserve rights and avoid unsupported criminal accusations or threats.
Before filing, assess the contract’s dispute clause and the supplier’s assets. A legally valid claim may still be commercially weak if the defendant has no recoverable assets. When appropriate, Chinese proceedings may allow asset preservation subject to evidence, jurisdiction, security, and procedural rules.
Related LawPW Guides
- https://lawpw.com/chinese-supplier-refuses-to-ship-after-payment/
- https://lawpw.com/recover-money-from-chinese-supplier/
- https://lawpw.com/how-to-sue-a-chinese-supplier-from-overseas/
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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