Sourcing glossary
Unified social credit code
Also known as: USCC, 统一社会信用代码, Business licence number, 통일사회신용코드
The 18-character national ID assigned to every Chinese company and organisation under standard GB 32100-2015, printed on its business licence and searchable in official registries.
The code uses digits and capital letters (excluding I, O, Z, S and V) in a fixed structure: one character for the registration authority, one for the entity type, a six-digit administrative area code, a nine-character organisation code and a check character. Introduced in 2015, it replaced the separate business registration, tax and organisation-code numbers, so one code now identifies a company across the market regulator, tax bureau, customs and banks.
Ask for the supplier's business licence (营业执照) and search the code, or the Chinese legal name, on China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (gsxt.gov.cn) to confirm the legal name, registration status (存续 or 在业 means active; 吊销 or 注销 means revoked or deregistered), registered capital and business scope. English company names are not registered and cannot be searched.
Then check that the company name on the licence matches the name on the platform profile, the proforma invoice and the bank account holder, and whether the business scope includes manufacturing if the supplier claims to be a factory. The step-by-step lookup, including Hong Kong and Taiwan registries, is in how to check a Chinese company's business license; the wider checks are in how to verify an Alibaba supplier.
Related terms
Guides that use this term
QC
Factory Audit in China: What It Checks, What It Costs and When to Order One
Factory audits in China: audit vs inspection, the five audit types, what the auditor checks on site, published cost per man-day, how to order one and read the report.
Updated 2026-10-14 · 7 min read
Suppliers
How to Check a Chinese Company's Business License (GSXT Lookup)
Verify a Chinese supplier's business license: read the license, search gsxt.gov.cn by name or credit code, decode the status and match it to the invoice and bank account.
Updated 2026-09-29 · 8 min read
Platforms
How to Verify an Alibaba Supplier Before You Pay
Check an Alibaba.com supplier step by step: what Verified and Gold Supplier badges mean, business license lookups, factory vs trader signals and red flags.
Updated 2026-09-29 · 7 min read
Platforms
How to Buy from 1688.com Outside China: A Step-by-Step Guide
How overseas buyers buy on 1688.com: account and payment options, Chinese and image search, shipping to a China forwarder, agents, and supplier checks.
Updated 2026-09-29 · 9 min read
Suppliers
Factory vs Trading Company in China: How to Tell and Which to Use
How to tell a real Chinese factory from a trading company using the business license scope, capital records and audits, plus when a trader is the smarter choice.
Updated 2026-09-02 · 7 min read
Part of Finding Suppliers.