On November 14th, the police in Qian County, Shaanxi Province issued a notice requesting information on internal corruption and criminal activities within small and medium-sized private enterprises. The announcement aimed to crack down on corruption and illegal activities within these enterprises to protect their lawful rights and interests.
The report called for information on various crimes committed by employees within small and medium-sized private companies, such as embezzlement of funds and bribery of non-government officials. However, this call for information quickly sparked criticism from the public.
Many netizens expressed disapproval, questioning why the focus was on small and medium-sized private enterprises when corruption in state-owned enterprises should be tackled first. Some commented that targeting these enterprises might be a way to make up for budget shortfalls at the end of the year.
Criticism continued with remarks like, “Small and medium-sized enterprises are already struggling enough! What more do they want!!!” and “They want to destroy small businesses by blowing small issues out of proportion.” The public sentiment seemed to imply a lack of trust in the authorities’ intentions.
Some also speculated that the move could be linked to financial incentives or bonuses at the end of the year. Observers noted a sense of desperation in the government’s actions, with one person sarcastically commenting, “Guess the economy isn’t doing well.”
After facing backlash, the Qian County Public Security Bureau’s Economic Investigation Detachment defended the notice, stating that their intention was to protect the business environment for small and medium-sized private enterprises. They clarified that there was a misunderstanding in the communication and that no relevant reports had been received. In response to the controversy, the notice was retracted, and the reporting hotline was deactivated.