Sept 14 — At a State Council press briefing on measures to address SME payment
difficulties, MIIT vice minister Ke Jixin said the State Council general office
recently issued a notice to strengthen governance of SME receivables. He said
most industries lack formal settlement rules and some large firms exploit
loopholes to delay payments by blurring payment terms. The notice clarifies how
SMEs can obtain outstanding balances and directs industry leaders to publish and
honor a 60-day payment commitment to encourage timely payments across supply
chains.