Standardized law enforcement vital for vibrant business environment

In response to the requirement raised by the Central Economic Work Conference that a special campaign be launched to standardize law enforcement in the case of enterprises, the State Council, China's Cabinet, recently issued guidelines standardizing enterprise-related administrative inspections, which aim to curb random inspections.

This has been the market's demand, especially after the Zhejiang provincial procuratorate recently disclosed a case in which police from another province pursued a private entrepreneur in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces and extorted money.

Law enforcement is important for government departments to manage economic and social affairs. However, unfair, selective or profit-seeking law enforcement, infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of private entrepreneurs and eroding the confidence of private enterprises is a problem. Such malpractices undermine the rule of law and pollute the business environment, and must be resolutely eliminated according to the law and regulations.

The launch of special actions to standardize law enforcement related to enterprises sends a clear signal that the central authorities will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises. To enhance the confidence of private enterprises and entrepreneurs and embolden them to operate without fear, the country must provide institutional and legal protection for their lawful operations and income according to law, and those irresponsible law enforcement behaviors must be held accountable.

The central authorities' reiteration that China is devoted to creating a good environment and providing more opportunities for the nonpublic sector also means that the property rights of private enterprises and the legitimate rights and interests of entrepreneurs should be protected in accordance with the law. Only by adhering to a problem-oriented approach, and resolutely preventing illegal and expedient law enforcement, can a good development environment for all types of business entities be created.

In December 2024, the Supreme People's Procuratorate issued a guideline document to prevent the use of criminal means to interfere in economic disputes, and improve the procuratorial process to identify and correct wrongdoings involving enterprises. Only by detecting any malpractices that infringe on the interests of enterprises can the rule of law be better maintained.

Standardizing administrative law enforcement involving private entrepreneurs and putting an end to any illegal behaviors are central to creating a good environment for the private economy. Only by allowing private enterprises to participate in fair competition, giving them equal access to development resources and enhancing their sense of security can the country stimulate market vitality and inject strong impetus into its high-quality economic development.

- PEOPLE'S DAILY