How to check ownership of a Chinese company
Check the registered shareholders, their ownership percentages, the shareholders behind intermediate entities, and the latest registration date. Indirect ownership and key personnel often matter more than a company's marketing description.
What the registry can show
Public business-registration data can show the legal entity, shareholders, subscribed capital and key officers. The available fields and update timing depend on the licensed data source.
- Direct shareholders and percentages.
- Intermediate holding entities.
- Legal representative, directors, supervisors and executives.
Read the chain, not only the first layer
A company may not share a direct shareholder with another supplier but still connect through an upstream investor or a common holding company.
- Trace the shortest path first.
- Note the percentage at each layer.
- Separate ownership links from name-only matches.
Know what ownership data cannot prove
Nominee arrangements, contractual control and unreported changes may not appear. A clean ownership chart is not proof of independent operations or good conduct.
Frequently asked questions
How many layers should I check?
One to three layers is a practical starting point for supplier screening. Use deeper professional due diligence for complex groups.
Are shareholders always individuals?
No. Shareholders can be people, companies, state entities or other organisations.
Supplier Relationship Check Results are due-diligence leads, not findings of wrongdoing. Name-based matches are marked for manual verification and should be checked against source records.
Run a supplier checkSources: Chinese business-registration public information · Contract and corporate documents supplied by the counterparty
Results are due-diligence leads, not findings of wrongdoing. Name-based matches are marked for manual verification and should be checked against source records.