Skip to main content

Table of Contents

Data Sources

China uses a single official data source. For a given entity, all company data is AI-extracted from a single PDF document — the Credit Information Report (信用信息报告) downloaded from the Credit China portal.

All entity types

  • Credit China (信用中国) — Official national credit information platform operated by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in collaboration with the People’s Bank of China. The portal (creditchina.gov.cn) provides Credit Information Reports (信用信息报告) in PDF format. This is the sole data source for company profiles, legal representatives, and all structured attributes. The system navigates the portal automatically, solves CAPTCHAs, and downloads the PDF document for each company.
CAPTCHA-protected portal. The creditchina.gov.cn website is protected by image CAPTCHAs. The system solves these CAPTCHAs automatically. Because CAPTCHA solving can be unreliable, automatic retry handling ensures resilience. This means company profile requests may take several minutes to complete.
  1. Search — Navigate to the Credit China search page with the company identifier (USCC) or name as a URL query parameter
  2. CAPTCHA — Solve the image CAPTCHA presented by the portal automatically
  3. Results — Intercept the search API response (catalogSearchHome) and extract the JSON result list
  4. Detail page — Navigate to the company detail page using the uuid, entityType, and USCC from the search result
  5. Download trigger — Click the “Download” button on the detail page to trigger the clickDownload API, which returns a reportNumber
  6. PDF download — Fetch the Credit Information Report PDF directly from public.creditchina.gov.cn/credit-check/pdf/clickDownloadOBS?reportNumber={reportNumber}
  7. Text extraction — Extract text from the PDF using PDF.co API (specialized for Chinese PDF encoding)
  8. AI parsing — Parse company data, legal representatives, and other attributes from the extracted text using AI (GPT-5 Mini / GPT-OSS-120B racing)

Company Identifiers

Query Identifiers

Company TypeSourceFormatExampleNotes
All entitiesCredit China18 alphanumeric characters (USCC)91110000710926094PUnified Social Credit Code (统一社会信用代码)
USCC Format Breakdown: The 18-character Unified Social Credit Code follows the GB 32100-2015 standard:
  • Position 1 — Registration management department code (e.g., 9 = industrial and commercial, 1 = government, 5 = civil affairs, Y = other)
  • Position 2 — Organization category code (e.g., 1 = enterprise legal person, 2 = non-enterprise legal person, 3 = foreign entity)
  • Positions 3-8 — Administrative division code (6 digits, e.g., 110000 = Beijing)
  • Positions 9-17 — Entity identification code (9 alphanumeric characters, derived from the former organization code)
  • Position 18 — Check digit (calculated using weighted modular arithmetic)
Characters I, O, S, V, Z are excluded to avoid confusion. The system validates USCC format with the regex: ^(?=.*[A-Z])[159Y][1239]\d{6}[0-9A-Z]{10}$

Identifiers in API Response

Once you retrieve company data, the identifiers object contains:
Identifier TypeFormatExampleFound In
Unified Social Credit Code18 alphanumeric characters91110000710926094PAll entities registered in China
The identifier key in the API response is Unified Social Credit Code (full English name), not an abbreviated key like uscc. This identifier is AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report and always corresponds to the query USCC.

Search Capabilities

Search TypePatternExampleMatch TypeExpected Results
By USCC18 alphanumeric characters9144030071526726XGExactSingle company (1 result)
By Chinese nameChinese characters腾讯FuzzyMultiple results
By full Chinese nameChinese characters腾讯科技(深圳)有限公司ExactSingle company (1 result)
Search uses live portal access. Both identifier and name searches navigate the Credit China portal in real time, solving CAPTCHAs for each search. There is no pre-built search index. Search can take 1-3 minutes due to CAPTCHA solving and portal latency. Automatic retry handling ensures resilience.
USCC validation is strict. The system validates the USCC format before attempting a search. If the input does not match the expected pattern (starts with [159Y][1239], followed by 6 digits and 10 alphanumeric characters), the search returns empty results immediately without hitting the portal. Invalid identifiers like 123456789012345678 will return no results.

Quirks & Gotchas

QuirkDetails
All data is AI-parsed from PDFUnlike countries with structured APIs, all company data for China is extracted from a Credit Information Report PDF by AI. Data quality depends on PDF quality and AI parsing accuracy.
CAPTCHA-protected sourceThe creditchina.gov.cn portal requires image CAPTCHA solving for every request. CAPTCHAs are solved automatically with built-in retry handling for resilience. Flakiness is inherent.
PDF text extraction requires specialized toolingChinese PDFs often have encoding issues or encryption. PDF.co API is used instead of standard PDF parsing libraries for reliable text extraction.
Processing time is highCompany profile requests are asynchronous and can take up to 7 minutes per attempt. The CAPTCHA-solving, portal navigation, PDF download, and AI parsing pipeline is inherently slow.
Single legal representative per companyChinese Company Law mandates exactly one legal representative (法定代表人) per company. This differs from jurisdictions that allow multiple legal representatives.
Shareholders not yet availableShareholder extraction has not been migrated to the Atlas workflow system. The API returns an empty shareholders array for all Chinese companies.
No UBO dataUltimate Beneficial Owner information is not publicly available through the Credit China portal.
Business scope instead of activity codesChina has a national classification system (GB/T 4754) but the Credit Information Report provides free-text business scope (经营范围) rather than numeric codes. NACE and ISIC codes are therefore always AI-inferred.
No establishment dataBranch or subsidiary information is not extracted from the current data source.
Mobile proxies requiredThe Credit China portal is a .gov.cn site that blocks data center IP addresses. Slow mobile proxies are required, adding to latency.
USCC replaced 3 old identifiers in 2015Before reforms in 2015, Chinese businesses needed separate IDs from SAIC (business permit), STA (tax ID), and AQSIQ (organization code). The USCC unified these into a single 18-character code. Legacy identifiers are not supported.

Mappings

Company Status

Company status is AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report (信用信息报告) PDF. The AI parser reads the status field from the document and maps it to a standardized status.
Local StatusEnglish TranslationStandardized StatusNotes
存续Existing / In OperationActiveCompany is registered and operating
在业In BusinessActiveCompany is actively conducting business
开业Open for BusinessActiveCompany has commenced operations
正常NormalActiveNormal operating status
迁出Relocated OutActiveCompany relocated to another jurisdiction
吊销RevokedClosedBusiness license revoked by authorities
注销DeregisteredClosedVoluntarily deregistered
撤销CancelledClosedRegistration cancelled by authorities
停业Ceased OperationsClosedCompany has ceased business operations
清算In LiquidationUnder Insolvency ProceedingCompany is undergoing liquidation
Status is AI-extracted from the trade register extract PDF. The local Chinese status term is preserved verbatim and mapped to a standardized status. The isAIInferred flag on status reflects this AI extraction.
China uses a variety of legal entity forms. Since company data is AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report PDF, the legal form is parsed from the document text. The mapping to standardized forms and ISO 20275 (ELF) codes is AI-enriched.
Legal form standardization and ISO 20275 assignment are AI-enriched. The local Chinese legal form name is preserved verbatim from the trade register extract. Because legal forms are AI-inferred, exact mappings may evolve.

Commercial Companies

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardizedNotes
有限责任公司Limited Liability CompanyLimited Liability CompanyMost common form for SMEs
股份有限公司Company Limited by SharesCorporationJoint stock companies, including listed companies
有限责任公司(自然人投资或控股)LLC (Natural Person Investment)Limited Liability CompanyInvested/controlled by individuals
有限责任公司(法人独资)LLC (Sole Legal Person)Limited Liability CompanyWholly owned by a legal person
有限责任公司(自然人独资)LLC (Sole Natural Person)Limited Liability CompanyOne-person LLC owned by an individual
有限责任公司(外商投资)LLC (Foreign Investment)Limited Liability CompanyForeign-invested enterprise (FIE)
有限责任公司(中外合资)Sino-Foreign Joint Venture LLCLimited Liability CompanyChinese-foreign equity joint venture
有限责任公司(外商合资)Foreign Joint Venture LLCLimited Liability CompanyMultiple foreign investors
股份有限公司(上市)Listed Company Limited by SharesCorporationPublicly listed corporation
股份有限公司(非上市)Unlisted Company Limited by SharesCorporationPrivate joint stock company

Sole Entrepreneurs

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardized
个体工商户Individual Industrial and Commercial HouseholdSole Proprietorship
个人独资企业Sole Proprietorship EnterpriseSole Proprietorship

Partnerships

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardized
普通合伙企业General PartnershipPartnership
有限合伙企业Limited PartnershipLimited Partnership
特殊普通合伙企业Special General PartnershipPartnership

Non-Profits & Social Organizations

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardized
民办非企业单位Private Non-Enterprise UnitNonprofit Organization
社会团体Social OrganizationNonprofit Organization
基金会FoundationNonprofit Organization

State-Owned & Public Entities

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardized
全民所有制State-Owned Enterprise (Wholly People-Owned)Government-Owned Entity
集体所有制Collectively-Owned EnterpriseGovernment-Owned Entity
国有独资公司State-Owned Sole Proprietorship CompanyGovernment-Owned Entity

Foreign Entities

Chinese NameEnglish TranslationStandardized
外国(地区)企业在中国境内从事生产经营活动Foreign Enterprise Operating in ChinaBranch or Representative Office
外国(地区)企业常驻代表机构Foreign Enterprise Representative OfficeBranch or Representative Office
Legal representatives are AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report (信用信息报告) PDF. In China, the legal representative (法定代表人) is a single individual who has binding authority on behalf of the company under Chinese law.
Role (Chinese)Role (English)ClassificationNotes
法定代表人Legal RepresentativeLegal RepresentativeThe primary legally authorized person; one per company
董事长Chairman of the BoardLegal RepresentativeWhen serving as legal representative
总经理General ManagerLegal RepresentativeWhen serving as legal representative
执行董事Executive DirectorLegal RepresentativeCommon in smaller LLCs without a board
负责人Person in ChargeLegal RepresentativeUsed for branches and representative offices
Under Chinese Company Law, each company has exactly one legal representative (法定代表人). This person is personally liable for certain company obligations. The legal representative is typically the Chairman, Executive Director, or General Manager as specified in the company’s articles of association. Both individuals and corporate entities can appear as legal representatives, though individuals are the norm. All role classifications are AI-inferred from the PDF text.

Other Key Persons

Not applicable. The Credit Information Report does not include structured data for supervisory board members, auditors, or other key persons beyond the legal representative. Board member or senior executive data is not currently extracted.

Shareholders

Shareholder data extraction is not yet implemented in the current China integration. The trade register extract (信用信息报告) may contain shareholder information, but the AI parser for shareholders has not been migrated to the Atlas workflow system.
Shareholder data is currently returned as an empty array for all Chinese companies. This is a known limitation pending migration of the shareholder parser to Atlas.

Planned Extraction

When implemented, shareholder data will be AI-extracted from the Credit Information Report PDF, which typically includes:
FieldDescriptionSource
nameShareholder name (individual or company)AI-extracted from PDF
typeIndividual or CompanyAI-inferred from name
sharePercentageOwnership percentageAI-extracted from PDF (when available)
shareCapitalSubscribed capital contributionAI-extracted from PDF (when available)

Activity Code Mapping

China does not use a single standardized industry classification code in the Credit Information Report. Activity information is extracted as a free-text description from the business scope (经营范围) field, then mapped via AI:
Business Scope (经营范围, free text) → AI → NACE Rev. 2 + ISIC Rev. 4
ClassificationSourceAI Inferred?
Business ScopeTrade register extract (经营范围)No (official text)
NACEAI-derived from business scope textYes (always)
ISICAI-derived from business scope textYes (always)
China has a national classification system (GB/T 4754 — 国民经济行业分类) but the Credit Information Report typically provides a free-text business scope rather than a numeric code. Both NACE and ISIC codes are therefore always AI-inferred for Chinese companies. Every activity item includes an isAIInferred: true flag.

Data Availability

Data Availability Matrix

Data TypeCredit Information Report (AI-parsed)Notes
Company Profile✅ AsyncLegal name, address, status, legal form, capital, activity description
Legal Representatives✅ AsyncAI-extracted from trade register extract PDF
Shareholders❌ (Planned)Parser not yet migrated to Atlas
Ultimate Beneficial OwnersNot publicly available in China
EstablishmentsNot extracted from current data source
Activity Codes✅ AsyncAI-inferred NACE/ISIC from business scope text
Legend: ✅ Available | ❌ Not Available | Async = Asynchronous processing (up to 7 minutes)

Documents by Company Type

Document TypeAPI CategoryFormatSKUAvailabilityNotes
Credit Information Report (信用信息报告)tradeRegisterExtractPDFCHN_CERTIFIED_REGISTER_EXTRACT✅ All entitiesOfficial credit report from creditchina.gov.cn
The Credit Information Report is the only document type currently available for Chinese companies. It is retrieved via automated navigation of the creditchina.gov.cn portal, solving CAPTCHAs, and downloading the PDF. The same document is used both as a standalone deliverable and as the source for AI-parsed company profile data.

Example API Responses

All examples use placeholder data. Query: POST /company with { "id": "<USCC>", "countryCode": "CN", "dataPoints": ["companyProfile"] }
{
  "company": {
    "id": "91110000710926094P",
    "countryCode": "CN",
    "identifiers": {
      "Unified Social Credit Code": "91110000710926094P"
    },
    "legalName": "北京示例科技有限公司",
    "legalNameInEnglish": "Beijing Example Technology Co., Ltd.",
    "registrationDate": "2018-05-15",
    "activityDescription": "技术开发、技术咨询、技术服务;软件开发;销售自行开发的产品。",
    "status": {
      "localName": "存续",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "ACTIVE"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "有限责任公司(自然人投资或控股)",
      "englishTranslation": "Limited Liability Company (Natural Person Investment)",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company",
      "iso20275Code": "8888"
    },
    "capital": {
      "amount": 10000000,
      "currency": "CNY"
    },
    "activities": {
      "NACE": [{ "code": "6201", "description": "Computer programming activities", "isAIInferred": true }],
      "ISIC": [{ "code": "6201", "description": "Computer programming activities", "isAIInferred": true }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "北京市海淀区中关村大街1号",
      "city": "Beijing",
      "countryCode": "CN"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": {
        "localName": "法定代表人",
        "englishTranslation": "Legal Representative",
        "standardized": "Legal Representative"
      },
      "individual": {
        "name": {
          "fullName": "张伟"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "shareholders": []
}
{
  "company": {
    "id": "91310000XXXXXXXXX1",
    "countryCode": "CN",
    "identifiers": {
      "Unified Social Credit Code": "91310000XXXXXXXXX1"
    },
    "legalName": "上海示例制造股份有限公司",
    "legalNameInEnglish": "Shanghai Example Manufacturing Co., Ltd.",
    "registrationDate": "2005-08-22",
    "activityDescription": "金属材料的制造、加工和销售;钢铁冶炼。",
    "status": {
      "localName": "在业",
      "active": true,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "ACTIVE"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "股份有限公司(上市)",
      "englishTranslation": "Listed Company Limited by Shares",
      "standardized": "Corporation"
    },
    "capital": {
      "amount": 500000000,
      "currency": "CNY"
    },
    "activities": {
      "NACE": [{ "code": "2410", "description": "Manufacture of basic iron and steel", "isAIInferred": true }],
      "ISIC": [{ "code": "2410", "description": "Manufacture of basic iron and steel", "isAIInferred": true }]
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "上海市宝山区工业路500号",
      "city": "Shanghai",
      "countryCode": "CN"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": {
        "localName": "董事长",
        "englishTranslation": "Chairman of the Board",
        "standardized": "Chairman"
      },
      "individual": {
        "name": {
          "fullName": "王强"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "shareholders": []
}
{
  "company": {
    "id": "91310000MA1FL8XQ30",
    "countryCode": "CN",
    "identifiers": {
      "Unified Social Credit Code": "91310000MA1FL8XQ30"
    },
    "legalName": "上海旧商贸有限公司",
    "registrationDate": "2010-03-20",
    "activityDescription": "日用百货、服装鞋帽的销售。",
    "status": {
      "localName": "吊销",
      "active": false,
      "statusDetails": {
        "status": "CLOSED"
      }
    },
    "legalForm": {
      "localName": "有限责任公司",
      "englishTranslation": "Limited Liability Company",
      "standardized": "Limited Liability Company"
    },
    "legalAddress": {
      "addressLine1": "上海市浦东新区张江路100号",
      "city": "Shanghai",
      "countryCode": "CN"
    }
  },
  "legalRepresentatives": [
    {
      "type": "individual",
      "role": {
        "localName": "法定代表人",
        "englishTranslation": "Legal Representative",
        "standardized": "Legal Representative"
      },
      "individual": {
        "name": {
          "fullName": "李明"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "shareholders": []
}
Note: Revoked companies have active: false and status 吊销 (Revoked). The standardized status is CLOSED. Shareholder data is not yet available.
Documents are returned when "dataPoints": ["availableDocuments"] is requested.
API CategoryDocumentNotes
tradeRegisterExtractCredit Information Report (信用信息报告) PDFAll entities
{
  "documents": {
    "tradeRegisterExtract": {
      "id": "doc_cn_xxxxxxxx",
      "name": "信用信息报告 (Credit Information Report)",
      "format": "PDF",
      "url": "https://..."
    }
  }
}

Data Source Priority & Routing

China uses a single data source for all entity types — the Credit China portal (creditchina.gov.cn). There is no priority chain or fallback mechanism.
Single-source model: All data comes from the Credit Information Report (信用信息报告) PDF downloaded from Credit China. There is no cross-source merging or fallback. If the Credit China portal is unavailable or the CAPTCHA cannot be solved after multiple attempts, the request fails.Attribute-level source mapping:
AttributeSourceAI Inferred?
Company name (Chinese + English)Credit Information Report PDFYes
Legal formCredit Information Report PDFYes
StatusCredit Information Report PDFYes
Registered addressCredit Information Report PDFYes
Registration dateCredit Information Report PDFYes
Share capitalCredit Information Report PDFYes
Business scope (活动描述)Credit Information Report PDFYes
Activity codes (NACE/ISIC)Derived from business scopeYes (always)
Legal representativeCredit Information Report PDFYes
ShareholdersNot extractedN/A
UBOsNot availableN/A
EstablishmentsNot extractedN/A