State-owned Assets Commission: Central enterprises must lead in timely payment of invoices
国务院国资委：中央企业带头及时支付账款
On September 14, 2026, at a State Council policy briefing, Pei Renquan of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) announced that a new notice on curbing payment delays to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) requires central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to set an example. SOEs must ensure timely cash payments, strictly limit the use of bills and notes, prohibit new instruments over six months, and lead by example in adopting industry payment commitments, including a model of paying SMEs in cash within 60 days of delivery.
The view from inside
Xinhua frames this as a top-down directive that reinforces the Party-state's concern for SME liquidity and supply-chain stability, using the phrase 硬杠杠 (yìng gànggang, "hard rule") to signal that cash payment discipline…
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