Chinese bankruptcies have surged recently as the government uses the legal system to deal with “zombie” companies and reduce industrial overcapacity as part of a broader effort to restructure the economy. According to figures from the Supreme People’s Court, Chinese courts accepted 5,665 bankruptcy cases in 2016, an increase of 53.8% from the previous year1. As the Chinese government and the courts become more receptive to bankruptcies, without a mature market-based credit system in place, the risks heighten that debtors and creditors could try to game the bankruptcy process.