The demonstration in Guangzhou was one of many in recent months in Guangdong - one of China's wealthiest and most industrialized provinces - where thousands of factories have shut down this year.

On Friday, the protesters lined up peacefully on a sidewalk outside the building in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, and held up red banners urging officials to crack down on corrupt businesses that stiff their suppliers. Scores of police surrounded the crowd and temporarily shut down a section of sidewalk to pedestrian traffic.

One protester, who would give only his surname Zhang, because he feared retribution, said that his factory supplied parts to the car radio factory in the city of Dongguan, just southeast of Guangzhou. He said that he and other suppliers demonstrated outside the factory Wednesday.

"There were about 100 of us, and about 200 police came and broke up the protest," Zhang said. "Some of the protesters were beaten. So we decided to take our case to the provincial government today."

Police and officials at the factory in Dongguan did not immediately respond to telephone requests by The Associated Press for information about the matter.

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