Please give me an update.

“Give me an update” is the most common and least effective follow-up in Chinese supplier communication — not because the Chinese is wrong, but because the question is too open. 给我一个更新 or 进度怎么样 (how’s the progress) will reliably get you some version of 正在做 (working on it), 没问题 (no problem), or 快了 (almost done). These are not updates. They’re reassurances. A real update answers a specific question: 生产到哪个环节了 (which production stage are you at), 货到哪了 (where are the goods right now), 有没有什么变动 (has anything changed). The specificity forces specificity in return.

The most effective update cadence is tied to the production schedule (生产排期). If the schedule says “material procurement: June 10, production start: June 15, QC: June 25, shipping: June 30,” then your update requests have natural checkpoints: “June 11 — has the material arrived?” “June 16 — has production started?” “June 26 — how did QC go?” Each question is easy to answer, impossible to dodge, and reveals a delay the moment it happens. This is radically different from sending “how’s it going?” every few days and receiving the same pleasant nothings in return.

If the supplier consistently gives vague updates, upgrade the request: 拍个照片给我看看 (take a photo and let me see). A photo of the production line, the half-finished goods, the packed cartons — this is harder to fudge than a text message. A supplier who won’t send photos is a supplier who doesn’t want you to see what’s happening. And if the silence stretches too long — a week with no update when production was supposed to be finishing — escalate politely but firmly: 几天没消息了, 我们有点担心 (we haven’t heard anything for a few days, we’re getting a bit worried). This is not aggressive. It’s factual, and it communicates that the silence has been noticed.