From：Internet Info Agency 2026-09-07 17:31:00
On April 7, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly issued the "Notice on Promoting Standardized Payment Practices for Automotive Enterprises and Optimizing Payment Term Management." This document marks the first national-level regulatory guideline specifically targeting payment term management in an industrial sector. It outlines five key requirements: First, it standardizes the starting point for calculating payment terms, specifying that the countdown begins from the date suppliers deliver goods, complete projects, or provide services and these are accepted as compliant. Second, it regulates acceptance procedures: automotive enterprises must generally complete acceptance of production-related materials, such as standard components, within three working days after receipt of goods, projects, or services; for functional components requiring vehicle installation verification, acceptance must be completed within five working days. Third, it standardizes payment methods, encouraging cash payments and prohibiting automotive enterprises from compelling or indirectly pressuring suppliers to accept non-cash payment instruments such as bank acceptance bills, commercial acceptance bills, or supply chain bills. The notice states that excessively long payment terms imposed by automotive enterprises on their suppliers reflect irrational competitive practices within the industry, which increase suppliers’ operational pressures and undermine the stability of industrial and supply chains. In June 2025, 17 major automotive enterprises publicly pledged to “maintain payment terms within 60 days.” Within the following year, the average payment term among these key automotive enterprises was effectively shortened.
