| Term | Meaning | How serious |
|---|---|---|
| 诉讼 / 裁判文书 (lawsuits / judgments) | Court cases involving the company, as plaintiff or defendant | Depends on volume and role. Big companies have many. |
| 开庭公告 / 法院公告 (court notices) | Hearing and court announcements | Context only |
| 被执行人 (subject to enforcement) | A court ordered the company to pay and it didn't pay voluntarily | Serious, especially if recent |
| 失信被执行人 (dishonest judgment debtor) | On the national blacklist of debtors who can pay but refuse | Very serious: avoid paying deposits |
| 限制消费令 (consumption restriction order) | The legal representative is barred from "high consumption" (flights, hotels) until debts are paid | Very serious |
| 终本案件 (enforcement ended without full payment) | Creditors weren't fully paid and enforcement was closed for lack of assets | Serious: suggests no recoverable assets |
| 行政处罚 (administrative penalty) | Fine or sanction from a regulator, such as market supervision, tax, customs or environment | Depends on the reason |
| 股权质押 / 股权冻结 (share pledge / freeze) | Shares used as loan collateral, or frozen by a court | Can signal financial stress |
| 纳税信用等级 (tax credit rating) | Annual rating by tax authorities: A (best), B, M, C, D (worst) | A is a positive sign; D is a red flag |
How Canton Check scores them
- Current enforcement orders: −15 each.
- Dishonest-debtor listing: −30.
- Penalties: −10 each.
- Past enforcement orders, since settled: −5.
- Tax rating A: +5.
See /docs#methodology for the full rule list.
Important limits
No records doesn't prove no problems. Chinese courts have published fewer judgments online since 2021, and some cases are never published. Large companies naturally have more cases; look at the type and recency, not just the count.