Well, here's one reason: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/28/business/la-fi-china-horowitz-20110128 http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/28/business/la-fi-

Well, here's one reason: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/28/business/la-fi-china-horowitz-20110128 http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/28/business/la-fi-china... By the OP's admission, they were late with some of their payments, and the Chinese counterparty could conceivably have some kind of a legal case against them. In which case, being in China could open them to getting sued in Chinese courts, which can be a tricky situation for Westerners. Not least because (as in this case), it can get difficult to leave the country once the case is in the courts. (The linked article describes a case where a businessman was stopped at the airport because of a $250,000 lawsuit that he says he was unaware of. He was only able to leave after his family found the money.)