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Chinese supplier stopped answering? What to do in the first 72 hours (2026)

Last updated: · By Sarah Liu, Thornfield Resources

Short answer: first rule out the simple reasons: a Chinese public holiday, a changed contact, or a message stuck in the wrong channel. Then, within 72 hours: check the company's status on China's official register and court enforcement lists, call the company's main landline in Chinese, write formally to the legal company (not just your salesperson), stop any further payments, and secure your evidence. Most silences are solved by reaching someone senior in Chinese. If not, you need to know quickly whether the company still exists and has assets, because that decides your options.

Is it a holiday?

Chinese factories close for long public holidays, and replies slow down for a week or more around them. In 2026, under the State Council's holiday notice:

Holiday2026 dates
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)15–23 February
Labour Day1–5 May
Mid-Autumn Festival25–27 September
National Day1–7 October

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, and many factories close for longer than the official days around it. Plan orders and deposits with that in mind.

The first 72 hours

  1. Check the company still exists and is active. Search its 18-character credit code on the official register (gsxt.gov.cn). Status changes, abnormal-operation listings or a recent change of owner are serious warnings.
  2. Check the court enforcement records. China's enforcement information site (zxgk.court.gov.cn) shows judgment debtors, the dishonest-debtor list and people under spending restrictions. A supplier newly listed is likely in financial trouble.
  3. Go above your contact. Call the company's main landline, ask in Chinese for the boss or the sales manager, and write to the legal company by email and by post to its registered address.
  4. Stop paying. Do not send a balance or a "release fee" to get things moving, and never pay a new bank account without checking it (see changed bank details).
  5. Secure your evidence. Contract, purchase orders, proforma invoices, payment records, chat history, photos of samples and moulds. If you bought on Alibaba with Trade Assurance, keep communication inside Alibaba's chat: Alibaba generally treats only its own messages as evidence.

Common reasons suppliers go quiet

  • Your salesperson left, and nobody picked up the account.
  • A production problem or delay they are embarrassed to admit.
  • A price increase they want you to accept before shipping.
  • Cash-flow trouble or a dispute with their own suppliers.
  • Fraud: the "supplier" was never a factory, or someone hijacked the email thread.

The first three are usually fixed in a conversation in Chinese with someone senior. The last two need a different plan, fast.

If it becomes a dispute

  • Time limit: under China's Civil Code, the general limitation period for civil claims is three years from when you knew, or should have known, about the problem and who was responsible.
  • Arbitration: if your contract has a CIETAC or other arbitration clause, an award can be enforced in China under the New York Convention, which China joined in 1987. CIETAC says most of its cases finish within six months of the tribunal being formed.
  • UK court judgments: a Chinese court recognised an English judgment for the first time in 2022 (Spar Shipping v Grand China Logistics), but this is not yet routine.
  • Public records are thinner than before: uploads of court judgments to China Judgments Online fell sharply after 2020, so a clean search is less reassuring than it used to be.

Before you spend on lawyers, find out whether the company has assets worth pursuing. Our guide how to get your money back from a Chinese supplier covers the options.

How we help

We check the company's status and court records in Chinese, call the factory and its management in Mandarin, and tell you plainly what is happening, usually within one to two working days. A Supplier Check starts at £175; if it has already become a problem, see China disputes. If you need someone to stay on it, our China representative service can take over day-to-day contact.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I wait before worrying?

Outside holidays, a working supplier usually replies within a day or two. After three working days of silence on an open order, start the checks above.

Should I pay the balance to get them to ship?

Not before you have checked the company's status, seen evidence the goods exist (photos, an inspection) and confirmed the bank account belongs to the company you contracted with.

Can I sue a Chinese supplier from the UK?

You can, but enforcing a UK judgment in China is still uncertain. An arbitration clause in your contract usually gives you a more enforceable route. Take advice from a qualified lawyer.

Sources