Who We Are?

China Verification is a service for finding and verifying China suppliers. We have verified hundreds of China companies  

China’s AIC database is a powerful source for verifying China suppliers. 

Depending on how deep you want to go with your verification process, you may find yourself looking at and trying to understand how the China AIC database works. 

At China Verification we are both serious and passionate about helping our clients. That is why we prepared this post to help hardworking entrepreneurs - just like you?

We are going to show you: 

- What is China’s AIC?

- What is China’s AIC database?

- How is China’s AIC database structured?

- How to Look up a China Company on the AIC database 

What is China's AIC?

AIC stands for Administration for Industry and Commerce. 

In China there is a State Administration for Industry and Commerce (国家工商行政管理总局 aka SAIC). SAIC is a central government body responsible for the supervision of business administration in China. Technically this is a national organisation with local departments in every administrative region in China (generally each province and major city).

In most cases, the SAIC oversees the registration of national-level companies. 

Of course, the majority of China companies are small and of no concern to the central government. So, the central government delegates its authority to local Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) branches in each prefecture. Depending on the prefecture in question, there may then be further sub-branches.

What is China's AIC Database?

As part of their responsibility to supervise business administration, all China AICs manage a database of corporate records.  

The records come primarily from the State Administration for Market Regulation (国家市场监督管理总局).

In China’s system of government, the AIC database performs a variety of roles relating to industry and commerce in each locale , which may include:  

• Anti-monopoly and Anti-unfair Competition Enforcement Bureau
• Direct Selling Regulation Bureau
• Consumer Protection Bureau
• Department of Market Regulation
• Regulation Department for Market Circulation of Food
• Enterprise Registration Bureau
• Bureau for Registration of Foreign-Invested Enterprises
• Department of Advertising Regulation
• Department for Regulation of the Private Economy
• Department of Personnel
• Trademark Office

How is China's AIC Database Structured?

The rules for recording company registration in China may be more complicated than in other countries. Why? First of all, China is a communist country that a Stalinist political party governs. (Don’t get it twisted, bro!) Second, China is a massively country with a huge population and an almost infinite number of companies.

A useful comparison can be made with the size of the United States, where each state operates its own company database.

While the national body (the SAIC) stipulates that business registration information is to be made available to promote safer business practices, the multitude of local branch offices can carry this out in different ways.

Due to the relatively decentralized company registration system, there can be some variability in the company information retained and/or made available to the public by each regional AIC branch.

In recent years, however, China has started to overhaul its company registration system. This has led to big improvements in the consistency and accuracy of information available.

How to Look Up a Business on the China Company Database?

Step 1. Go to the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) website http://gsxt.saic. gov.cn/. The database is only available in Chinese language. If possible, we suggest asking someone who can read and write Chinese to assist.

There is now a centralized system for checking business registration on the China company register. In addition, each regional AIC office operates their own websites which you may find useful in some circumstances.

Step 2. On the right side of the screen all AIC regional databases are listed. From left to right they are: 

北京 Beijing, 天津 Tianjin, 河北 Hebei, 山西 Shanxi, 内蒙古 Inner Mongolia 

辽宁 Liaoning, 吉林 Jilin, 黑龙江 Heilongjiang 

上海 Shanghai, 江苏 Jiangsu, 浙江 Zhejiang, 安徽 Anhui, 福建 Fujian, 江西 Jiangxi, 山东 Shandong 

广东 Guangdong, 广西 Guangxi, 海南 Hainan

河南 Henan, 湖北 Hubei, 湖南 Hunan 

重庆 Chongqing, 四川 Sichuan, 贵州 Guizhou, 云南 Yunnan, 西藏 Tibet 

陕西 Shaanxi, 甘肃 Gansu, 青海 Qinghai, 宁夏 Ningxia, 新疆 Xinjiang 

Click on the province/municipality where the company is located. In the following example, the search is of the 广 东 (Guangdong) AIC database.

Step 3. Fill in the company name you want the official registered basic information of in Chinese characters. When you have filled in this information, please press 搜索. In the example below, the search is for 华为 (Huawei)

Step 4. Enter the security code in the pop-up window and press搜 索. To refresh the security code press 换一张。Depending on which AIC you selected, the security code will either be asked in English or in Chinese. 

Step 5. Select the correct company you want the official registered basic information of. In the example, the selected company is 华为机 器有限公司.

Step 6. The screen will show the basic information of the company as officially registered with the AIC automatically. If you press any other button on the screen, you can go back to the officially registered basic information by clicking 工商公示信息 on the left, and then 登记信息 on the top left. In the example below we can see the official information of 华为机器有限公 司.

What's Next?

Guys 🙂 I really hope you found today’s post to be an assistance . 

Like you know, we are serious and passionate about assisting hardworking entrepreneurs. If you have any questions about finding the right supplier in China, we are here to help.

If you are interested in this topic you may be interested in our Expert Guide.

Check it out here.