The State Administration for Market Regulation issued rules on administrative-penalty discretion, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Discretion is split into five tiers: no penalty, reduced penalty, lenient penalty, ordinary penalty and severe penalty. Severe penalty means applying relatively heavier or more types of penalties, or higher penalty ranges, within legally available options; for fines the amount must fall in the upper 30% (inclusive) of the statutory minimum-to-maximum range.