China cracks down on ‘illegal’ investigations targeting private business

Prosecutors in China issued thousands of directives last year on “correct law enforcement” and oversaw the retraction of more than 400 “improperly filed” criminal cases related to private business, as Beijing seeks to limit acts that “harm the business environment”.

According to a report released on Thursday by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, more than 6,500 corrective instructions were issued between January and November last year – targeting “illegal investigative actions that jeopardised the socialist market economy”.

Du Xueyi, head of economic crime prosecution, said addressing corrupt and harmful practices such as profit-driven law enforcement was a “pivotal responsibility”.

The actions taken last year were part of a systematic effort to “rectify opportunistic law enforcement practices that … run counter to fair justice, severely undermine the credibility and authority of the judiciary, disrupt the rule of law, and harm the business environment”, the report quoted Du as saying.

China has intensified efforts to stabilise its post-pandemic economy and restore confidence in the business environment – amid challenges including high youth joblessness, weak domestic consumption and a renewed trade war with the United States.

Beijing has also vowed to establish a fair and just legal framework that respects and protects the integrity of private enterprises – seen as crucial to economic vitality, innovation and job creation.

  

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