The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the State Taxation Administration, and the National Intellectual Property Administration, has issued a joint notice aimed at preventing unscrupulous intermediary agencies from interfering with the cultivation and certification of high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises.
The notice addresses five key areas: improving certification management, strengthening service guidance, enhancing data verification, reinforcing joint law enforcement, and innovating management mechanisms. The goal is to foster a healthier cultivation ecosystem, block the influence of bad intermediaries, and continue to polish the "golden signboard" of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will rigorously organize the certification of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises. It will also improve the quality of cultivating and certifying high-quality SMEs through quality evaluations of specialized SME development, special inspections of SME and high-tech enterprise work, and unannounced inspections of specialized and innovative SMEs, thereby preventing interference from bad intermediary agencies.
Notice on Further Preventing Unscrupulous Intermediaries from Affecting the Cultivation and Certification of High-Quality SMEs
The notice, numbered Gongxin Ting Lian Qiye [2026] No. 40, was sent to SME authorities, internet information offices, tax bureaus, and intellectual property offices across all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, cities with independent planning status, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
It states that, in order to implement decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, further build a sound cultivation ecosystem, prevent the influence of bad intermediary agencies, and keep the "golden signboard" of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises shining, relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:
First, improve certification management. In the certification of specialized and innovative SMEs and the preliminary review and recommendation of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises, provincial SME authorities should improve review mechanisms and standardize the entire process. They must organize experts to conduct reviews strictly according to certification standards using a "double random" approach, where expert panels are randomly formed and review tasks are randomly assigned in real time. Review and certification work must not be delegated to agencies that provide intermediary services related to applications for specialized and innovative SMEs or "little giant" enterprises. Through rigorous review procedures, the channels for intermediary agencies to interfere with evaluation work must be cut off.
Second, strengthen service guidance. SME authorities should increase publicity and interpretation of the Measures for the Gradient Cultivation and Management of High-Quality SMEs, establish smooth communication channels with applicant enterprises, and help enterprises fully understand application policies and review procedures. They should promptly release and respond to hot issues, reduce information gaps, and organize public-benefit application guidance services for SMEs so that all applicant enterprises are covered and encouraged to apply independently. The "proactive discovery" mechanism should be used well, with services delivered directly to enterprises.
Third, enhance data verification. SME authorities should strengthen coordination with intellectual property, taxation, and other departments to improve the comparison and verification of key data. They should study and establish a front-end patent screening mechanism. During the certification process for specialized and innovative SMEs and "little giant" enterprises, they should rely on the professional strength of local intellectual property departments to screen for abnormal patent situations and evaluate patent quality. They should explore the use of artificial intelligence, big data, and other technologies to improve expert review capabilities. The on-site verification mechanism must be strictly implemented to prevent data packaging and falsification. Abnormal indicators, contradictory data, and sudden increases or decreases should be subject to focused verification. Dynamic management and risk monitoring should be strengthened so that risks and hidden dangers among local high-quality SMEs are handled promptly.
Fourth, reinforce joint law enforcement. SME authorities, cyberspace departments, and intellectual property departments should jointly address acts by application-related intermediary agencies that release false information through self-media, public accounts, internet platforms, and other channels, distort the interpretation of application and certification policies, publish false advertising or promotional information about application services, or solicit business by using guaranteed application outcomes as a selling point. These efforts are meant to ensure that application and certification work is conducted fairly and in an orderly manner. Based on clues and assessment opinions from SME authorities, cyberspace departments should, in accordance with the law, clean up illegal and non-compliant information published by application-related intermediary agencies on websites and platforms, and handle websites and accounts that seriously violate the law according to relevant regulations. For bad intermediary agencies that use fraud, deception, intimidation, threats, or other improper means to obtain clients, enterprises are encouraged to report them to public security organs in accordance with the law. Where provincial SME authorities discover bad intermediary agencies that instigate or help enterprises fabricate false application materials or engage in fiscal fund sharing, they should report them to relevant competent departments in accordance with the law.
Fifth, innovate management mechanisms. For enterprises found to have falsified data or materials, SME authorities shall cancel their certification, and they may not apply again for three years. Typical cases involving bad intermediary agencies will be reported on the high-quality SME gradient cultivation platform. Local SME authorities are encouraged to optimize work measures, increase transparency in review work, explore innovative ways of preparing application materials and collecting data, and open the "front door" while blocking the "side door." The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will rigorously organize the certification of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises. It will also improve the quality of cultivating and certifying high-quality SMEs through quality evaluations of specialized SME development, special inspections of SME and high-tech enterprise work, and unannounced inspections of specialized and innovative SMEs, thereby preventing interference from bad intermediary agencies.
This notice is hereby issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Secretariat of the Cyberspace Administration of China, the General Office of the State Taxation Administration, and the Office of the National Intellectual Property Administration on October 13, 2026.
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