JURISDICTION
Can a U.S. Judgment Be Enforced in China?
A U.S. judgment requires a China-side recognition review before enforcement. Understand reciprocity, refusal risks, documents, and asset checks.
Guides & cases
China litigation guides and official court cases
Use this page to understand your options, explore dispute scenarios, and decide whether a China-side lawsuit or enforcement strategy is worth exploring.
China Litigation Guides
Can you sue in China, and should you?
Plain-English guides on jurisdiction, costs, timelines, asset preservation, enforcement, and the practical reasons to litigate in China.
ENFORCEMENT
How to Enforce a Foreign Arbitral Award in China
Identify the award seat, applicable mainland China recognition route, required documents, refusal risks and reachable assets.
PROCEDURE
How Long Does a Lawsuit in China Take?
Plan each stage of a foreign-related China lawsuit: documents, service, preservation, hearings, appeal, and enforcement. Court time limits are not recovery guarantees.
CONTRACTS
Drafting China Contracts That You Can Actually Enforce
Check counterparty identity, authority, dispute clauses, evidence and the enforcement route under current Chinese law.
COSTS
How Much Does It Cost to Sue in China?
Build a litigation budget that separates court fees, legal fees, third-party costs, and recovery risk. Includes a CNY 7.2 million worked example.
STRATEGY
Asset Preservation in China: Freezing Assets Before Judgment
Assess pre-suit and in-litigation preservation, evidence of urgency, court security requirements, and the 30-day deadline after pre-suit measures.
ASSET INVESTIGATION
How to Investigate a Chinese Company's Assets Before Litigation
A lawful, practical framework for identifying the right company, checking public enforcement clues, mapping related entities, and turning asset leads into a preservation or enforcement plan.
CROSS-BORDER FILING
How Foreign Companies Can Appoint Chinese Lawyers and Sue in Mainland China
A practical guide to Chinese-primary powers of attorney, corporate authority documents, Apostille or legalization, translations, and court filing preparation.
SUPPLIER DISPUTES
How to Sue a Chinese Supplier in Mainland China for Non-Delivery or Defective Goods
Assess non-delivery, defective goods, failed testing and customs holds. Includes evidence checklists, public court cases and the next steps for a supplier dispute.
FOREIGN-RELATED LITIGATION
Foreign-Related Commercial Litigation in China: Practical Issues Foreign Companies Should Know
A practical guide to jurisdiction, service, evidence, Apostille, governing law, and enforcement of awards or judgments in China-related commercial disputes.
COSTS
China Court Fees: Filing, Preservation and Enforcement
Check the statutory filing-fee schedule, the CNY 5,000 preservation-fee cap, and enforcement charges. Worked examples separate court charges from other costs.
Dispute Scenarios
What similar disputes can look like
Illustrative scenarios explain what to assess. The official court case library below links independently published decisions.
These are illustrative scenarios, not reports of client results. For independently published decisions, visit our official China court case library.
Unpaid debt
Check the debtor's registered identity, payment evidence, limitation period and assets before choosing a recovery route.
Contract breach
Review the dispute clause, proof of performance, alleged breach and recoverable losses.
Supplier dispute
Preserve specifications, inspection records, delivery documents and payment evidence before pursuing a refund or damages.
Official Case Library
Foreign-related China court cases, explained in English
Read SueInChina's English notes on official Chinese court cases involving foreign-related commercial litigation, arbitration support, maritime disputes, enforcement, and international trade.