On addressing the issue of overdue payments to enterprises, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council have recently issued the latest guidelines.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Addressing the Issue of Delayed Payments to Enterprises" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), which systematically deploy efforts to resolve the issue of delayed payments to enterprises.
The document states that to address the issue of delayed payments to businesses, it is essential to adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the 2nd, 3rd Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, persist in "two unwavering commitments," adhere to governance by law, strengthen classified supervision, enhance inter-departmental coordination, consolidate local responsibilities, and enforce constraints and penalties. It is necessary to continuously improve legal frameworks, refine working mechanisms, create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, rule-of-law oriented, and internationally oriented, and promote the healthy development of all types of enterprises.
The "Opinion" requires the establishment of a comprehensive legal and judicial framework for the repayment of overdue corporate accounts. It emphasizes the need to strengthen oversight of government investment projects and project funding, regularly checking the status of funds and tracking their disbursement. The system for settling project prices should be improved, and oversight of government procurement payments should be enhanced. Mechanisms to prevent and resolve large enterprises from delaying payments to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should be established, along with enhanced law enforcement oversight. State-owned enterprises should be urged to standardize and optimize their payment management systems. The operational mechanism for handling complaints about delayed payments to SMEs should be optimized, and a nationwide unified platform for registering (complaining about) defaulted payments to SMEs should be established. A mechanism for supervising and constraining complaints should be strengthened. Organizational support and oversight should be reinforced, with enhanced inter-departmental coordination, research into the causes of and solutions for delayed payments in key areas and industries, and collaborative efforts to address the issue of overdue corporate accounts. A mechanism for punishing失信行为 should be strengthened, along with audit oversight.
The document emphasizes that all regions and departments should fully recognize the significant importance of resolving overdue payments to enterprises in safeguarding enterprise rights, stabilizing enterprise expectations, and enhancing enterprise confidence. They should, in light of local conditions and their own responsibilities, earnestly carry out all necessary tasks.
