CHINA COMPANIES BUSINESS REGISTER

How GSXT serves as China’s company register

Run by the State Administration for Market Regulation and launched in 2014, GSXT consolidates registration data from local market-regulation bureaus nationwide, publishes each entity’s public record, and lets users search by Chinese legal name or the eighteen-character Unified Social Credit Code.

Searching for a Chinese company before a commercial agreement

Before any agreement, a counterpart can query GSXT by the company’s exact Chinese legal name or its Unified Social Credit Code, retrieving the authoritative public record that confirms the business exists and is genuinely registered in mainland China.

Information you can obtain on a registered Chinese business

Each GSXT record shows the legal name, Unified Social Credit Code, status, registered capital, legal representative, registered address, business scope and establishment date, giving a counterpart an authoritative view of the legal reality behind a Chinese company before committing.

Confirming a Chinese company is registered and active

Checking GSXT confirms whether a company holds a valid Unified Social Credit Code and shows an active status (存续/在营) rather than cancelled or revoked (注销/吊销), a decisive step preventing engagement with a business lacking standing in China.

Why investors review the register before committing capital

Ahead of an investment, investors consult GSXT to authenticate the registered capital, legal representative and shareholding disclosures, gauge legal exposure and confirm that the people presented match the records the State Administration for Market Regulation publishes for the Chinese target.

Identifying the legal representative and key people

GSXT names the legal representative bound to a company and discloses key personnel, allowing a counterpart to confirm who genuinely holds the authority to commit the entity before any contract is concluded with a Chinese counterparty.

Official records available through the system

GSXT publishes registration details, annual reports and administrative penalties, while the business licence carries the Unified Social Credit Code, each source forming a verifiable record a counterpart can cross-check during a transaction, financing or compliance review in China.

Finding a company’s Unified Social Credit Code

The eighteen-character Unified Social Credit Code, which also functions as the taxpayer number, appears on the business licence and is confirmed through GSXT, this code linking every record and conditioning reliable identification of a Chinese company.

Why banks and compliance teams use the register for due diligence

Banks and compliance teams rely on GSXT to meet know-your-customer obligations, identify the legal representative and shareholders, document anti-money-laundering checks and build an audit trail underpinning any later regulatory review of a Chinese counterparty, noting access may require real-name authentication.

Verifying changes in ownership, management or status

Because GSXT updates in real time, a counterpart can verify changes in the legal representative, registered capital, shareholders or status over time, spotting recent changes or penalties that may precede a sensitive transaction with a Chinese business.

Reducing fraud and commercial risk through the register

By publishing authoritative, real-time enterprise data, GSXT deters misrepresentation, exposes cancelled or revoked entities and abnormal-operation listings, and helps businesses lower fraud and commercial risk before extending credit, shipping goods or forming a partnership in China.

Official bodies providing access to China’s company register

The official bodies below provide access to China’s company register and related records, enabling a counterpart to verify a business, confirm its Unified Social Credit Code and consult authoritative data on entities registered in mainland China before transacting.

• National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT / NECIPS) — China’s official company register; search by Chinese legal name or USCC (real-name authentication may apply). https://www.gsxt.gov.cn
• State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) — the company registration authority overseeing GSXT and market regulation nationwide. https://www.samr.gov.cn