Yes, when a company incorporated in mainland China signs an agreement governed by English law without an address in England and Wales. English law is a common choice in China's outbound trade, finance and investment documentation, and counterparties insist on the appointment because serving proceedings in China through official channels is notoriously slow.
Where Chinese parties meet the requirement
Chinese banks lending internationally, state owned and private enterprises signing commodity offtake and supply agreements, groups investing in UK real estate and infrastructure, and shipping interests fixing vessels under English law charterparties all encounter the clause. It typically appears as a condition of the deal, with the letter of appointment collected before signing or drawdown alongside the other completion documents.
Why counterparties will not waive it for China
Service of foreign proceedings in mainland China runs through the Hague Service Convention via the designated central authority, a route measured in many months. No lender or trading partner will build that delay into its remedies, so the process agent requirement is applied to Chinese parties as firmly as anywhere in the world. For the Chinese party the appointment is equally protective: documents served on your agent reach you within a day, not a season.
Appointing from China
The process is our standard order form and due diligence on ordinary corporate documents, with confirmation usually within 24 hours. We invoice in CNY as well as USD and six other currencies, charge no UK VAT to overseas clients, and cover starts at £125 per year. Groups operating through Hong Kong entities can compare the position on our Hong Kong page, and appointment begins at the Appoint Us Now page.