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Shanghai steps up oversight of delayed payment practices hurting suppliers

Task force set up to protect supply-chain vendors and stabilise manufacturing amid fierce price wars

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The move comes after Shanghai published its latest action plan to build a world-class business environment. Photo: AFP
Daniel Renin Shanghai
Shanghai, mainland China’s commercial and financial hub, has pledged to step up policing its manufacturing sectors to curb prolonged payment cycles that affect thousands of supply-chain vendors.

Gu Jun, deputy secretary general of the municipal government and director of the city’s development and reform commission, told a press conference on Thursday that a task force had been set up to ensure money owed to vendors would be paid promptly.

“Supervision will be strengthened to avoid delayed payments,” he said. “We will guide state-owned businesses to properly handle their debt repayments as they fine-tune their supply-chain management.”

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The remarks came after Shanghai published its latest action plan to build a world-class business environment.

Dubbed the “dragon head” of the Chinese economy, Shanghai is regarded as a gateway city for foreign businesses and capital entering China. Its efforts to monitor payment practices stem from a nationwide campaign to weed out malpractices that have hurt manufacturing industries from carmaking to property construction.

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Powerful manufacturers like electric vehicle assemblers often delay payments to suppliers of auto parts to free up cash for price wars, creating hidden, interest-free debts. For suppliers, however, longer payment cycles can cause cash-flow problems.
Powerful manufacturers like electric vehicle assemblers often delay payments to suppliers of auto parts to free up cash for price wars. Photo: AFP
Powerful manufacturers like electric vehicle assemblers often delay payments to suppliers of auto parts to free up cash for price wars. Photo: AFP
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