# How do I pay a Chinese supplier safely by T/T?

Author: Mike Wang, Fanxi Technology (Dalian Fanxi Technology Co., Ltd., Dell Technologies Platinum Partner). Updated 2026-11-01.
URL: https://fanxi-technology.com/en/blog/how-to-pay-a-chinese-supplier-safely

> Pay a Chinese supplier by T/T only after a signed contract and an invoice whose beneficiary name matches the company registered on China's national registry, gsxt.gov.cn. Send the wire to a corporate account in China, keep your bank's MT103 as proof, and phone the supplier on a number you already know if the bank details ever change. Personal accounts, accounts in a third country and new bank details sent by email are the warning signs.

## What is the safe payment flow with a Chinese supplier?

A safe T/T payment to a Chinese supplier follows a fixed order of documents. Each document refers to the one before it, so you can trace every dollar back to a signed agreement.

1. Contract: both sides sign a sales contract with the exact configuration, price, Incoterm (for us, EXW Dalian), lead time, warranty and the bank details of the seller.
2. Invoice: the seller issues a proforma or commercial invoice that repeats the contract number, the amount and the same bank details.
3. T/T: your bank sends a SWIFT wire to the beneficiary named on the invoice. Put the contract or invoice number in the payment reference.
4. Proof: your bank gives you the MT103 (or its ISO 20022 equivalent). Send a copy to the seller so they can match the incoming funds.
5. Shipment: the seller builds, tests and hands the goods to your forwarder, with a commercial invoice and packing list that match the contract.

At Fanxi this is the only way we take payment: T/T after a signed contract and an invoice. We do not accept cards, PayPal or payments to personal accounts.

## How do I check a Chinese company before paying?

Every company in mainland China is listed on the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System at gsxt.gov.cn, run by the State Administration for Market Regulation. A Chinese company check takes five minutes and costs nothing.

1. Ask the supplier for its Chinese company name and its 18-character Unified Social Credit Code (USCC). A real company sends both without hesitation.
2. Open gsxt.gov.cn and search for the USCC. The site is in Chinese; a browser translation is enough. Some foreign networks load it slowly, so try again or use a mobile connection.
3. Compare the registered name, the status (存续 or 在业 means active), the registration date and the registered address with what the supplier told you.
4. Read the business scope (经营范围). An exporter should list 货物进出口, import and export of goods.
5. Check the abnormal operations list (经营异常名录) and the serious violations list on the same record.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Registered name | 大连梵西科技有限公司 |
| English name used on invoices | Dalian Fanxi Technology Co., Ltd. |
| Unified Social Credit Code | 91210204MAE048TT6J |
| Company type | Limited liability company |
| Registration authority | Shahekou District Administration for Market Regulation, Dalian |
| Business scope includes | 货物进出口 (import and export of goods), computer hardware wholesale and retail |

Our license scan and the same facts are on our About page, so you can compare the two side by side before you pay.

## What do the 18 characters of a Chinese USCC mean?

The Unified Social Credit Code is not a random string. The structure of the USCC tells you what kind of entity you are dealing with and where it is registered, which makes a fake code easier to spot.

| Position | Meaning | In our code |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Registration authority | 9 = market regulation (company register) |
| 2 | Entity type | 1 = enterprise |
| 3 to 8 | Administrative area code | 210204 = Shahekou District, Dalian, Liaoning |
| 9 to 17 | Organization code | MAE048TT6 |
| 18 | Check character | J |

If a supplier says it is in Shenzhen but the area code points to another province, ask why. A branch office or a recent move can explain it. Silence cannot.

## Must the beneficiary name match the registered company name?

Yes. The beneficiary name on the invoice must be the same legal entity as the company on gsxt.gov.cn and the company that signs your contract. Chinese banks hold corporate accounts in the registered name, so a mismatch means the money goes to someone else.

For Fanxi the beneficiary is Dalian Fanxi Technology Co., Ltd., China Construction Bank, Dalian Branch, SWIFT PCBCCNBJDLX. The SWIFT code itself is a check: PCBC is China Construction Bank, CN is China, BJ is the head office location code, DLX is the Dalian branch. We send the account number in the contract and invoice only, never on a public web page.

## What are the red flags when paying a supplier in China?

- A personal account: the beneficiary is a person, not the company that signed the contract.
- A bank account in a third country, such as Hong Kong, Singapore or the UK, for a company registered in mainland China, with no written reason from the contracting company.
- Bank details changed by email, often with a story about an audit or a tax issue. This is the classic business email compromise.
- Pressure to pay a deposit outside the contract, for example a reservation fee to hold stock before any document is signed.
- An email domain that is one letter off, or a free webmail address, used for payment instructions.
- A price far below every other quote for the same part number.

## What should I do if the supplier sends new bank details?

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center counted more than 55 billion US dollars in reported business email compromise losses between 2013 and 2023, and companies that pay foreign suppliers are a main target. Criminals read a hijacked mailbox, wait for an invoice and then send their own account number.

1. Do not pay. Do not reply to the email that carries the new details.
2. Call the supplier on a phone number you already have from the contract or an earlier call, not one printed in the new email.
3. Ask for the change in a signed contract amendment from the registered company, and check that the new beneficiary name still matches gsxt.gov.cn.
4. If you have already paid, call your bank at once and ask for a SWIFT recall, then report the fraud to the police and, in the US, to ic3.gov.

> Fanxi will never change its bank details by email alone. If you receive such a message in our name, call +86 186 9862 2377 before you do anything else.

## What is an MT103 and why should I keep it?

The MT103 is the SWIFT payment message your bank sends for a single customer wire. Your bank issues the MT103, not the supplier. It shows the amount, the value date, the ordering and beneficiary banks and a reference, and most banks now include a UETR tracking number that lets both banks trace the payment.

Send the MT103 to the seller once the wire leaves. It ends the question of whether the money was sent, and it is your proof if the funds go missing between correspondent banks. Many banks now produce the same data in the ISO 20022 format; ask for the payment confirmation with the UETR.

## FAQ

**Is a bank wire to China safe without escrow or Trade Assurance?**

A wire is safe when you have checked the company on gsxt.gov.cn, the beneficiary name matches it, and you pay against a signed contract. A wire cannot be reversed easily, so the checks before you pay matter more than any platform fee. Escrow services add cost and often cap the amount, which rarely suits a server order.

**How long does a T/T to a Chinese bank take?**

Most SWIFT transfers to China arrive in one to three business days. Intermediary banks can add a day. Send the MT103 to the supplier so they can ask their bank to look for the funds by reference.

**Why do Chinese suppliers ask for T/T instead of a card or PayPal?**

Card and PayPal fees of 3 to 5 percent wipe out the margin on enterprise hardware, and chargebacks make large orders risky for the seller. T/T is the standard method in B2B trade with China and gives both sides a bank record of the payment.

**What if I sent money to a fraudster after a bank detail change?**

Call your bank immediately and ask for a SWIFT recall; speed matters more than anything else. Then file a police report and, in the US, a complaint at ic3.gov. Tell the real supplier too, because their mailbox may be compromised.

## Sources

- [National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn), China SAMR](https://www.gsxt.gov.cn/)
- [FBI IC3 PSA: Business Email Compromise, the $55 Billion Scam (2024)](https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240911)
- [FBI: Business Email Compromise](https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/business-e-mail-compromise)
- [FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), report a fraud](https://www.ic3.gov/)

Paying a Chinese supplier by T/T is routine once you know what to check. We send our contract draft and license details before you commit, and we are happy to stay on the phone while you check us on gsxt.gov.cn.