The licence still names them until SAMR says otherwise — a WeChat resignation is not a change of legal representative.
Company Law now makes it easier in principle to resign, but SAMR still needs a successor and a change filing: internal resolution, amended AOA if required, ID of the new person, and often chop/licence originals. If the old LR holds the chops and will not cooperate, you have a control fight, not a formality. Banks, tax and customs each need an update after SAMR. This is the how-to. Risk of being LR stays on /china-legal-representative-risks. Do not create a twin definition slug.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Who appoints the successor?
AOA organ.
WhoWill the old LR hand over chops/licence?
Cooperation vs court/notary path.
ChopsSAMR window extras?
Local ID/photo rules.
FileBanks and tax after?
Downstream KYC.
AfterWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Can the old LR force a change if the company refuses?
Company Law gives resignation rights; SAMR practice still wants a successor. This is counsel-grade when chops are held hostage.
Does the new LR have to be a director?
They must fit the organ the AOA names (director or manager in the usual case).
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.