Check your credit report twice a year for unfamiliar loans and cards
Use the People’s Bank of China Credit Reference Center or an authorized mobile-banking channel, not a third-party “credit-check” app collecting your information. Adverse information is generally retained for five years after the underlying conduct or event ends, then deleted. You may dispute an entry and should receive a written response within 20 days.
What it takes
Two annual reports are available free under the cited law. An online check takes about ten minutes.
What you may gain
China’s Credit Reporting Industry Regulations give individuals the right to obtain their own report free twice annually. Adverse information is retained for five years from the end of the adverse conduct or event, and must be deleted afterward. A credit-reporting agency or information provider receiving a dispute must investigate and give a written response within 20 days.
Context & considerations
Identity misuse for loans or cards can remain hidden until a mortgage application is refused years later. Check through the Credit Reference Center or an authorized banking channel. Avoid third-party credit-report apps that themselves gather sensitive personal information.
Research & references
State Council (2013). Credit Reporting Industry Regulations, Order 631, Articles 16, 17, and 25. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2013-01/29/content_2303.htm.