# How to verify a Chinese company step by step | Confirm Supplier

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Practical guide by Confirm Supplier (CNAL Consulting, Spain). Before wiring money to a Chinese company you can check, for free and at the official source, whether it exists, whether it is operational and who legally represents it. The tool is called GSXT.

## What GSXT is

GSXT, 国家企业信用信息公示系统 (National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System), is the official business registry of the Chinese state, run by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). Every company legally incorporated in mainland China has a public record at gsxt.gov.cn. If your supplier does not appear there, it does not exist as a registered company.

## Step 0: get the legal name in Chinese characters

Chinese companies are registered only under their name in Chinese characters. The English name on the website, on Alibaba or in the email signature is a trading name and is not recorded in any registry. Ask the supplier for their business licence (营业执照): it shows the exact legal name and the USCC code. A serious supplier hands it over without hesitation; evasiveness at this request is a signal in itself.

## Step 1: search the company on gsxt.gov.cn

1. Go to gsxt.gov.cn. The portal is Chinese only; enter the search in Chinese characters.
2. Paste the full legal name or the USCC code. The USCC is more reliable because it is unique.
3. Solve the captcha. Access from outside China can be slow or fail intermittently.
4. Select the company and open its registry record.

## Step 2: read the registry record

- Unified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码): unique 18 character identifier. It must match the licence, the invoice and the contract.
- Legal representative (法定代表人): the person with legal power to bind the company. Compare with whoever signs your contract.
- Registration status (登记状态): look for 存续 (existing) or 在业 (in operation). If you see 注销 (deregistered) or 吊销 (licence revoked), stop.
- Registered capital (注册资本): the capital the company declares. Declared does not mean contributed; see the registered capital guide.
- Date of establishment (成立日期): a company incorporated months ago claiming 15 years of experience has something to explain.
- Business scope (经营范围): the authorised activities.

## Step 3: compare with what the supplier has told you

Common inconsistencies: the name on the destination bank account does not match the registered legal name (the most dangerous discrepancy), the real company age does not fit the advertised experience, the person negotiating is not the legal representative and does not appear in the company, or the invoicing company is an undisclosed intermediary rather than the factory.

## What GSXT will not tell you

- Litigation and enforcement: they live in separate court archives, in Chinese.
- Capital actually paid in: the visible figure is generally the subscribed one, not the contributed one.
- Whether it actually manufactures: the business scope shows whether it is authorised to. See https://confirmsupplier.com/en/resources/factory-or-trading-company/
- Corporate links: who is behind the company and which other companies share its shareholders.
- The full penalty history and operational signals aggregated by platforms such as Qichacha or Tianyancha, with access restricted from outside China.

For due diligence reports, Confirm Supplier's network of licensed lawyers in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou also consults legal databases reserved for legal professionals in China.

## Quick questions

- Is the GSXT lookup free and legal? Yes to both. It is a public registry and consulting it is standard practice in commercial due diligence.
- Can I search with the English name? Not reliably. Search with the Chinese characters or the USCC code.
- What if everything matches? You have ruled out the crudest fraud. Above a certain amount, look at litigation, paid in capital and corporate structure.

A €500,000 order. A €250 report. China Simple Confirmation Report: €250 + VAT. China Due Diligence Report: €900 + VAT.

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