The rule of law is the fundamental guarantee of the business environment. In an effort to explore a fault-tolerant and error-correcting mechanism for minor violations of laws and regulations, China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone Nanjing Area rolled out the List of Mitigation and Exemption of Punishment for Minor Violations of Laws and Regulations Applicable to Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement in Nanjing Jiangbei New Area (hereinafter referred to as the List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption) to facilitate tolerant and prudent supervision and further improve the business environment.

 To make the innovative work on mitigation and exemption of punishment for minor violations of laws and regulations well-grounded, the drafting institution chaired a demonstration meeting on the List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption in the Comprehensive Management Bureau of Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Administrative Committeeon the afternoon of November 24, with the participation of backbone staff, experts and scholars as well as senior lawyers from Nanjing Justice Bureau, Faculty of Law of Nanjing Audit University, Jiangsu Sunfair Law Firm, Tahota (Nanjing) Law Firm, and Jiangsu Jinxiehe Law Firm. They gave professional guidance to the draft List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption from the perspectives of legality, rationality and feasibility, and put forward practical suggestions and opinions on its shortcomings.

 Taking into consideration of expert opinions and suggestions as well as the practical work of China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Nanjing Area revised and improved the List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption in a pioneering spirit, and will solicit opinions from the public for revision, and submit it for collective decision after several rounds ofimprovement to ensure the List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption is well-grounded and rational before releasing it to the public at an early date.

 The List of Punishment Mitigation and Exemption drafted this time is a trial list of the first batch of punishments to be mitigated and exempted formulated within Nanjing Jiangbei New Area (China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone Nanjing Area), composed of 48 items of punishment mitigation and exemption in four law enforcement areas, namely, urban management, transportation, tourism and culture. Aimed at taking the market players’ first-time and non-intentional administrative violations that are corrected in time, minor, and haven’t caused harmful consequences into the list of punishmentmitigation and exemption, it is an active exploration of the reform of the tolerant punishment exemption list in multiple fields.

 Punishment mitigation and exemption lists of more batches, covering more fields and that are more tolerant will be rolled out in the coming days according to the law enforcement work practices of Nanjing Area and the business environment improvement needs to further improve the business environment and create a good rule of law order in Nanjing Area and stimulate the vitality of market players and the impetus for industrial development.