BEIJING -- China's courts have acted to protect the rights of businesses and entrepreneurs by stepping up oversight of illicit cross-region and profit-driven law enforcement, said a work report of the Supreme People's Court.

This was done to "strictly prevent the misuse of criminal measures in economic disputes," said the report submitted Saturday to the national legislature's annual session for deliberation.

Summarizing its work over the past year, the top court said the move was part of the judiciary's efforts to "create a law-based business environment."

"The legitimate rights and interests of both state-owned and private businesses were equally protected, while their illegal and criminal activities were severely punished by law," the report said.

The report noted that 46 cases involving property rights were retired and corrected by courts in 2024, acquitting 13 out of 72 people involved in these cases.