Thailand and Cambodia agree to ceasefire after renewed border clashes, Trump says
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to halt all shooting from Friday evening following renewed fighting along their shared border, U.S. President Donald...
In response to mounting backlash over delayed payments and a deepening price war, major Chinese automakers including BYD, Chery, Geely, SAIC, BAIC, Xpeng, and Xiaomi have pledged to pay suppliers within 60 days, aligning with new government rules that came into effect on June 1.
The announcement follows intense criticism from the China Iron and Steel Association, which warned that steel suppliers are facing liquidity strains and shrinking profit margins. The group accused automakers of demanding more than 10% price cuts and delaying payments for months.
Government Push & Industry Response
China’s Ministry of Industry recently held a meeting with automakers, pressuring them to end the destructive price war and ease the burden on suppliers. New regulations now legally require large companies to settle most supplier payments within 60 days, although suppliers had expressed concerns about potential loopholes.
In their public statements:
However, none of the companies clearly stated what qualifies as the start of the 60-day clock or whether payments will be in cash.
Mounting Pressure from Supply Chain and Dealers
The auto industry’s cutthroat competition since early 2023 has led to extreme discounting, putting a squeeze on dealers and suppliers alike. Many dealers say they are being flooded with inventory, leading to cash flow problems and in some cases, store closures.
Great Wall Motor’s chairman, Wei Jianjun, has compared the situation to Evergrande's collapse, suggesting the auto industry is similarly heading toward a credit crunch.
Industry Experts Weigh In
Yang Hongze, chairman of Autolink, welcomed the pledges as a step toward healthier supply chain practices but stressed the need for transparency and enforcement:
“It is a pleasant but difficult change... but we still need clarity on whether we’ll get paid in cash or paper, and when the 60-day clock really starts.”
The situation remains fluid, with suppliers hoping these pledges signal a real shift toward fairer, more sustainable practices in China’s EV-dominated auto sector.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Kyiv has escalated its naval campaign against Moscow’s economic lifelines, claiming a successful strike on a vessel suspected of skirting international sanctions within the Black Sea.
The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday (11 December) puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve of the Black Sea nation's entry into the euro zone.
Türkiye’s Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Friday that discussions in Washington with U.S. officials have strengthened efforts to expand bilateral trade, moving closer to a $100 billion target.
Lebanon is prepared to demarcate its border with Syria, President Joseph Aoun said on Friday, while noting that the dispute over the Shebaa Farms could be addressed at a later stage.
Greek farmers blocked the Port of Thessaloniki on Friday as part of nationwide protests demanding delayed European Union subsidies and compensation for rising production costs and livestock losses.
Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif held talks on Friday during the International Peace and Trust Forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, focusing on bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues
ussian President Vladimir Putin described Moscow’s relations with Baghdad as historically strong and unbroken during a meeting with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid in Turkmenistan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment