The classification screen

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.

01

Is registered capital fully paid?

Capital.

Capital
02

Asset mixing or abuse of personality?

Veil.

Veil
03

Personal guarantee outstanding?

Contract.

Guarantee
04

Avoidance of shareholder transfers?

Resolve the avoidance of shareholder transfers question separately before choosing the route.

Avoid

Working rule: China Company Law limited liability means shareholders are generally not liable for company debts beyond capital contributions.

What changes the answer

The signal ledger.

These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.

Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
Empty shell with unpaid capital
Classic claim.
Expect pursuit.
Assume bankruptcy wipes guarantees
Usually not.
Read guarantee.
Confuse with employee claims priority
Different stack.
Employee page.
Prepare before you escalate

Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.

Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.

01Capital contribution recordsPaid-in.
02Bank flows shareholder↔companyMixing.
03Guarantee contractsPersonal exposure.
Common confusions

Questions people ask before they build.

Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.

Does bankruptcy automatically pierce the veil?

No. Abuse facts are required. Courts are fact-specific.

Where is avoidance?

Use the linked specialist resource when Shareholder Liability in Insolvency turns on detailed evidence, procedure or risk assessment.

Primary authorities

Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.

Supreme People’s Court
National laws database — Enterprise Bankruptcy Law (NPC)
SAMR enterprise registration
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (employee claims)