Full Question
I will be searching for a supplier to manufacture an invention: of mine. It will be a new creation. Would a non-compete agreement be effective if I'm dealing with a Chinese manufacturer? If not, how can I protect my invention?

Answer
There is no downside to having an NDA in place. At the very least, it shows the suppliers you are serious about IP. The problem is that suppliers are hard to monitor and violations are hard to prove. Say your supplier sends your idea to his cousin in the next town over… good luck proving it in a Chinese court. However, if your IP is registered by you in China, then it is a totally different story. You will have the system on your side.

The good news is that registering IP in China is fairly straightforward and very affordable.