TLDR; We used a chinese corporate records tool to find out information on a chinese company
Before we start using tools, we must first understand what is meant by Corporate Intelligence. It is any information requested by a client that could influence a business decision. Examples of corporate intelligence are:
| KYC (Know your customer)– when approached by a third party, who am I really dealing with? | Asset Tracing– Research to determine the subject company’s asset profile. Is it sufficient to meet their outstanding debts? Is it worth pursuing a claim against them or will it cost more than it gains? |
| Litigation Support- what can I find to support a case involving a subject entity? | Integrity Due Diligence (IDD)– is this third party involved in anything shady that would, by association, look bad reputationally for my company? |
What kind of questions could I ask?
Is the subject entity registered and still active?
Who are the ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs)? How about the registered managers?
Are there any connections to local or national government entities?
Does the subject entity’s stated background and registered activities correspond with the client’s understanding?
What tools are used, then?
- Corporate registries
- Business Information Databases
- Litigation Databases
- Social Media
- Land registries
- Sanctions lists
- The list goes on!
Investigation using a corporate information database
While there are many Chinese corporate websites like Qichacha , Tianyancha and others, the one I focused on was Kanzhun (看准）. I decided to focus on Xi’an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Science and Technology Co.Ltd (西安冰果智能航空科技有限公司), who were the subject of one of my previous investigations. I had been interested in this company when I read a Der Spiegel article alleging potential supply of ZT-180 drones to Russia in the context of the Ukraine war.
I only scratched the surface in the previous investigation, and wanted to apply my corporate intelligence learning to finding out more about the company!
Having clicked on the AIC Information tab (light green), I proceed into the changes record (highlighted in yellow) to see how information registered against the company since inception has changed.
I switched to another tab to examine the shareholders in the company. Unsurprisingly, it’s dominated by Ma Jingdong, but another 3% stake owned by a Beijing entity emerges…
Back to Beijing Guodian later in a separate query of Kanzhun! I followed up on Ma Jingdong and found various mentions on websites to do with UAVs, a potential LinkedIn profile and a mention on the Peking University (aka Beida) site! Following this trail I saw this article:
Back to Kanzhun, then and onto the “Intellectual Property” tab that has to do with patents etc, and I find a whole bunch of other people listed on the patent of a “type of conventional layout tiltrotor vertical takeoff and landing fixed wing UAV” from September 2018:
And there we have it. Taking some initial datapoints on the company, I’ve been able to find out…
- Current address and contact information, plus corporate website
- Business registration/license information
- Relevant information on management and shareholders, including another potential line of enquiry of Beijing Guodian Ruiyuan.
- Articles and social media profiles associated with the head of the company
- Information on some of the patented products, plus a host of new names associated with these.