Xinhua News Agency notes that the death penalty will be imposed in "extremely grave cases" that have had an "extremely negative impact." If there are extenuating circumstances or in cases of cooperation with the investigation, the death sentence may be suspended for two years.

In cases where the death penalty is too harsh a sentence, it may be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or commutation.

In general, the new ruling of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate is an addition to the criminal laws that were amended in late 2015. The current ruling, in particular, sets minimum values for different types of bribes. For example, a significant bribe is now defined by a minimum amount of 30,000 yuan, a large bribe by 200,000 yuan, and a particularly large bribe by 3 million yuan. Individuals who receive bribes at and sue may also be held criminally liable

In addition, the document clarifies the position of law enforcers with regard to some specific aspects, for example, if an official learned about the receipt of a bribe by a suspect, a family member or a close aide, but did not report it, the official will be considered an accomplice to the crime.