Mid-market companies often discover that a China-relatedproblem becomes urgent only after money, tooling, inventory, or customer commitments are already at risk. The practical steps below are intended to help management identify the right counterparty, preserve leverage, and decide when local counsel or other specialists should become involved.
Start with proof of the parties and transaction
The evidence should establish the correct Chinese legalentity, authority of the signatory, contract terms, purchase orders, specifications, invoices, payments, and delivery history. Informal English names and unsigned quotations may not be enough.
Preserve electronic communications properly
Emails, WeChat messages, platform chats, and electronicfiles can be important, but authenticity and context matter. Preserve full conversation histories, account identifiers, timestamps, attachments, and
devices where practical.
Prove the breach and resulting loss
For quality claims, retain samples, inspection reports, testresults, customer returns, rework costs, and disposal records. For nondelivery, document deadlines, notices, substitute purchases, and customer consequences.
Address translation and notarization early
Chinese proceedings generally require Chinese-languagematerials. Foreign-origin documents may require translation and sometimes notarization, authentication, or other formalities depending on the document
and forum.
Evaluate enforceability before filing
Confirm jurisdiction, arbitration provisions, limitationperiods, asset location, and whether preservation is available. A strong factual claim can still be commercially unattractive if the defendant lacks reachable assets.
Practical next step