From £2,500 · quoted per company
Enhanced Due Diligence on a Chinese Company
Before a joint venture, a distribution deal, an acquisition or a large contract, you need to know who really owns and controls the company, what it has been involved in, and what could come back to you. We investigate in Chinese and report in plain English.
When a supplier check is not enough
Our Supplier Check answers "is this company real and safe to pay?". Enhanced Due Diligence answers the bigger questions a board, a bank or an insurer will ask before money or reputation is committed:
- Who owns and controls the company, through which shareholders, and who are the people behind them?
- Which related companies sit around it, and are any of them in trouble?
- Is there state ownership or influence that matters for your deal?
- Does anything in its ownership, locations or supply chain raise sanctions or forced-labour concerns?
- What does its history in Chinese courts, enforcement lists and regulators' records show?
- What do Chinese-language media, industry sources and former partners say about it?
What we do
- Scope: a call to agree the deal, the decisions the report must support, and the red lines.
- Corporate records: registration, shareholders, ownership changes, branches, related companies and key people, traced through China's official registers.
- Legal and regulatory history: court judgments, enforcement and dishonest-debtor lists, administrative penalties and licence status.
- Screening: sanctions lists and forced-labour risk indicators relevant to UK, EU and US rules.
- Reputation: Chinese-language media and industry sources, and discreet conversations where appropriate.
- Site and management: optional site visit and management interview, in Mandarin.
- Report: a written report with findings, evidence and a clear view on the risks, which you can share with your board, lenders or advisers, plus a call to walk you through it.
Price and timing
From £2,500 for one company. The final price depends on the depth, the number of related companies and whether a site visit is needed; it is fixed in writing before we start. Most reports take two to four weeks.
Legal opinions on Chinese law, and any litigation, are provided by independent licensed lawyers we work with.
How we are paid
By you only. We take no money from the companies we investigate, and everything we learn stays confidential to you.
Read first
Due diligence before a China joint venture or distribution deal: what to check, where it shows, and the red flags.
Who really owns a Chinese company? What the official register shows, where the trail goes cold, and how to do due diligence in China lawfully.
Forced labour and sanctions screening of Chinese suppliers: the UK, EU and US rules buyers now answer for, and what can practically be screened.
Common questions
What is the difference between a Supplier Check and Enhanced Due Diligence?
A Supplier Check (from £175) confirms a company is real, active and safe to pay. Enhanced Due Diligence goes further into ownership, control, related companies, sanctions and forced-labour risk and reputation, for deals where much more is at stake.
Can you find out who really owns a Chinese company?
We trace the registered shareholders and the people behind them through China's official records, and flag where ownership is layered or unclear. Where records stop, we say so.
Will the company know it is being investigated?
Records research is invisible to the company. Site visits and interviews are only arranged with your agreement.
Planning a deal with a Chinese company?
Tell us the company and the decision ahead. Quotes are free and confidential.
Request a free quote