Chinese courts stepped up efforts over the past year to correct miscarriages of justice in cases involving businesses, a move aimed at upholding fairness and stabilizing economic development, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) said on Wednesday.

Liao Xiangyang, an official with the SPC, said courts nationwide have been urged to better protect lawful business activity by clearly distinguishing between contract disputes and contract fraud, legitimate financing and illegal fundraising, participation in mergers and acquisitions and the malicious appropriation of state-owned assets, as well as lawful business operations and criminal conduct.

After reviewing criminal cases involving enterprises in 2025, courts determined that 69 cases should not have been treated as criminal offenses, Liao said. Of those, 55 were corrected through retrials.

Dong Zhaoyang, another SPC official, said a regular mechanism has been established to review and correct wrongful criminal cases related to businesses. He added that communication with organizations such as the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce has been strengthened to broaden channels for identifying miscarriages of justice.

Dong said courts at all levels are required to promptly clarify responsibility, return seized property and assist businesses in resuming normal operations once errors are corrected.

Liao also said that in 2025, courts nationwide took steps to help enterprises overcome operational difficulties caused by disputes, with the aim of restoring vitality and supporting healthy development.

As an example, he said courts in Hainan and Jiangxi provinces coordinated efforts to legally lift seals on real estate assets belonging to a biotechnology company, reviving the enterprise and boosting the operations and income of more than 2,600 aquaculture businesses.