a. Making sure the Chinese company proposing to sell the medical products is authorized by the Chinese government to export those medical products. This usually takes very little time. If we find the Chinese company is not authorized to export the products you are seeking to buy from it, we usually will go back to you and suggest you ask the company how it proposes to get you the products when it is not on the list of companies authorized to export those products from China. If we find that the Chinese company is authorized to export the medical products you seek, we will usually immediately move on to #2 below. These authorizations are a constantly moving target, and today China yet again further restricted the products that can be legally exported.
b. Conducting a basic due diligence investigation on your potential sellers and providing you with a report on our findings. This investigation typically consists of our reviewing various Chinese government databases to confirm that the Chinese company from which you are seeking to buy PPE products actually exists and is licensed to sell what it is proposing to sell to you. These investigations also seek to determine whether the Chinese company is well capitalized, is in good standing with the Chinese government regarding fines and taxes, and is not involved in lawsuits that would make us doubt its reliability. We also look at the company’s ownership because that sometimes gives us additional good insight about the company. After we search the Chinese government databases, we do a quick internet search on the company in Chinese and in English to try to get information about its overall reputation. We then provide you with a 3-5 page report on our findings. Our typical turnaround time on these is 5-8 hours. Not surprisingly, we are finding that the better the company, the greater the likelihood the products will clear customs in China and in the importing country.
c. Conducting searches to determine whether the products you will be buying can be imported into the particular country in which you will be importing them. We also provide high-level customs advice for products imported into the United States and the EU, and, in tandem with associated lawyers, we can usually provide this advice for other countries as well.
d. Drafting purchase and sale agreements between you and your Chinese sellers. This includes our providing you with legal counsel regarding terms and payment issues, such things as letters of credit.
e. Assisting you in securing capable QC assistance in China. It helps to have someone in the factory watching how your PPE is made and making sure that what is shipped is what you bought. There is no substitute for this step, even and especially in times like this.
