On May 15, 2025, ‘Interpretation of Private Economy Promotion Law and Symposium on Optimising the Rule of Law Environment for Private Economy’, hosted by Suzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce (SFIC) and co-organised by Soochow University Business School and Jiangsu New Era Private Economy Research Institute, was successfully held at Soochow University. Zhou Jun, Vice Chairman of Suzhou Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of Suzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, Lv Jin, Vice Chairman of Suzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, Feng Bo, Dean of Business School of Soochow University and President of Jiangsu New Era Private Economy Research Institute and other leaders, as well as Liu Shuhua, Vice President of Jiangsu New Era Private Economy Research Institute, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Suzhou Zhongshi Construction Group, vice president of Jiangsu New Era Private Economy Research Institute, and Liu Shuhua, Vice President of Suzhou Luzhiyao Science and Technology Co. Ltd, Zhou Rong, Chairman of Suzhou Luzhiyao Technology Co., Ltd, Zhang Xuan, Director of Jiangsu New Era Private Economic Research Institute, General Manager of Suzhou Southeast Aluminium Sheet & Strip Co., Ltd, Jiang Lijian, Director of Jiangsu New Era Private Economic Research Institute, President of Suzhou Huacheng Group Co.

At the meeting, President Feng Bo firstly introduced the relevant work content and achievements of Jiangsu New Era Private Economic Research Institute. Since its inception, the Institute has been committed to in-depth study of various theoretical and practical issues of private economic development, and actively provide intellectual support for private enterprises and decision-making reference, through a series of forward-looking, targeted research projects, the formation of a number of influential research results, to promote the high-quality development of private economy in Jiangsu contributed to an important force. The promulgation and imminent implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Promotion of Private Economy is of great and far-reaching significance. As the first basic law for the development of private economy in China, it consists of nine chapters and 78 articles, and establishes and improves relevant systems and mechanisms around fair competition, investment and financing promotion, scientific and technological innovation, standardisation of operation, service guarantee, and protection of rights and interests, so as to put into practice the requirements of the Party and the State for equal treatment and protection of the private economy, and to continue to optimise the development environment of the private economy, which is stable, fair, transparent, and predictable.

Chen Jing, Vice President of Suzhou Wujiang District People's Court, said in the interpretation of the Law on the Promotion of Private Economy that the sixteen-word principle of ‘equal treatment, fair competition, equal protection, and common development’ established by the Law to promote the development of private economy is the basic principle that the people's court system has been adhering to in the law-enforcement and judicial work for a long time.

Chen Jing said that the People's Court has always insisted on the fair trial of administrative cases involving enterprises, and promoted the administrative organs to strictly regulate, fair and civilised law enforcement. In the next trial and enforcement work, the people's court will continue to increase the market access, administrative licensing, administrative penalties, administrative coercion and administrative compensation and other key areas of administrative cases of judicial review, resolutely rectify the phenomenon of arbitrary fees, fines, inspections and seizures, and resolutely investigate the legal responsibility of administrative inaction, inaction in accordance with the law. ‘The people's court will also, as always, strictly fulfil its statutory duties, and provide more powerful judicial services and guarantees for the promotion of the high-quality development of the private economy by giving full play to the important functions of judicial adjudication to regulate, safeguard and lead, and by giving full play to the safeguard role of the rule of law to fix the fundamentals, stabilise expectations and benefit the long term.’

‘The Private Economy Promotion Law is a fundamental law that protects the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises and private entrepreneurs in an all-round way, which especially helps to boost the confidence of private enterprises and private entrepreneurs.’ Zhao Yi, a professor and blogger at Soochow University's Wang Jian Law School, said in interpreting the Private Economy Promotion Law that the Private Economy Promotion Law has a very important legislative highlight, which is to bring together the private economy protection initiatives that used to be scattered in all kinds of laws, administrative regulations, judicial interpretations, and normative documents, and to unify them to apply to all kinds of business entities, and to make clear the responsibilities and powers of governmental authorities at all levels, judicial organs, and authorities in charge. For the private entrepreneurs to eat ‘confidence pills’, for some of the more vague, lower level of effectiveness of the provisions of this legislation has also been clarified, involving network defamation, off-site law enforcement, seizure and detention, payment of accounts, and other aspects of the rules of operation is very strong.

'The introduction of the Private Economy Promotion Law not only responds to the ardent desire of private enterprises, but also touches the pulse of criminal justice, and puts forward new challenges to the public prosecutors, lawyers and the legal community.' Wang Lilin said, partner of Jiangsu Zhongxun Law Firm and a well-known criminal lawyer, said in interpreting the Private Economy Promotion Law that the Private Economy Promotion Law restricts and constrains the judiciary, "I think it is mainly reflected in two aspects: the first one is to grasp the two prohibitions, Article 63, 'Prohibition of intervening in economic disputes by administrative or criminal means in violation of the law ', and Article 64 "prohibits the abuse of power to implement heterogeneous law enforcement for the purpose of economic interests and other purposes". The second is to make two sets of distinctions, both to strictly differentiate between economic disputes and economic crimes, and to withdraw the case, not prosecute, terminate the trial, or acquit in accordance with the law if the facts are unclear, the evidence is insufficient, or criminal responsibility should not be pursued in accordance with the law, and to strictly differentiate between property involved in the case and lawful property, and between the property of private organisations and the property of individuals, and to prohibit the unit handling the case from exceeding its authority, scope, quantity, and time limit for unlawful seizure. "

In the exchange and discussion session, Liu Shuhua, Party Secretary and Chairman of Suzhou Zhongshi Construction Group Co., Ltd, Zhou Rong, Chairman of Suzhou Luzhiyao Technology Co., Ltd, Li Yunfei, Chairman of Suzhou Miramar Media and Culture Co., Ltd, and Chen Jinggeng, Chairman of Huaxing Consulting Group, carried out an exchange and discussion around the Private Economy Promotion Law and the rule of law environment of the private economy. They agreed that the Private Economy Promotion Law focuses on the pain points and difficulties in the development of private enterprises, and gives pragmatic and practical measures in the areas of ‘fair competition’, ‘investment and financing promotion’ and ‘protection of rights and interests’. Pragmatic and practical initiatives for private enterprises to provide a more solid protection of rights and interests they will further seize the opportunity to focus on the main business, deep ploughing innovation, and constantly improve the core competitiveness of enterprises, and contribute to the high-quality development of the private economy in Suzhou.

Finally, Zhou Jun, Vice Chairman of the Suzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Suzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, said that we should have a deep understanding of the significance of the law on the promotion of the private economy, fully grasp the core essence of the development of the private economy and the important content, and take the implementation of the law on the promotion of the private economy as an opportunity to be firm and confident, and take advantage of the momentum, and write a new chapter on the high-quality development of the private economy of Suzhou, and the high-quality growth of the private economic personnel.