Review №31 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Market Regulation Priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan (Press Conference)
- Market Regulators and Internet Platforms Sign Agreement to Support Businesses
- Municipal Investigation into Four Travel Service Platforms
- Draft Revised Guidelines on Overseas Antitrust Compliance
- Meeting on Combating Price Violations and Unfair Competition
- 4th Antitrust Compliance Lecture
Market Regulation Priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan (Press Conference)
On September 20, the State Council of the People's Republic of China held a series of thematic press conferences on key market regulation priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030). According to Shu Wei, Deputy Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) overseeing the antitrust agenda, the authority intends to foster an economic order that is “both flexible and well-regulated.”
From an antitrust perspective, SAMR will focus on markets that have a direct impact on people's well-being, primarily pharmaceuticals (active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs), the platform economy, and public utilities (water, electricity, and heating supply). In regulating platforms, SAMR will strengthen oversight of data, algorithms, platform rules, and traffic allocation. This is intended to ensure that digital companies take greater responsibility for the obligations associated with their role as “gatekeepers.”
As part of its broader efforts to combat “involutionary” competition, the authority will take more active measures against price violations, strengthen product quality oversight, and intensify efforts to combat unfair competitive practices. Efforts will also be made to incorporate intelligent technologies into regulatory practices in order to effectively prevent the creation of hidden market barriers and obstacles to the free movement of goods and factors of production.
“The starting point and ultimate goal of market oversight is to ensure product safety, so that people can purchase, eat, and use products with confidence,” Shu Wei emphasized.
Market Regulators and Internet Platforms Sign Agreement to Support Businesses
Market regulation authorities in seven regions of China (including Inner Mongolia, Guangdong, and Sichuan) and the National Network for the Promotion of Individual Businesses signed a Framework Agreement with eight platforms: 1688, Douyin, Kuaishou, Meituan, Taobao, Tmall, Xiaohongshu, and Alipay.
The agreement is aimed at providing targeted support for the development of individual businesses. It will deepen cooperation between market regulators and platforms and provide entrepreneurs with practical assistance in developing their businesses in online markets.
Source: SAMR
Municipal Investigation into Four Travel Service Platforms
The Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation has launched an investigation into four online hotel and travel booking platforms — Fliggy, Tongcheng Travel, Tujia, and Meituan Travel. The platforms are suspected of potentially violating China's Anti-Unfair Competition Law and E-Commerce Law in the course of their operations.
All four companies responded immediately to the investigation notice, stating that they take the matter very seriously, are prepared to fully cooperate with the investigation, and will strictly comply with the regulator's requirements.
The services continue to operate normally at present.
Draft Revised Guidelines on Overseas Antitrust Compliance
SAMR is working on an updated version of its guidelines on overseas antitrust compliance for Chinese companies operating in foreign markets or planning to expand beyond China. The draft is currently open for public consultation, with comments accepted until September 29.
The document is intended to encourage Chinese companies to raise awareness of the need to comply with antitrust laws overseas and reduce the associated legal risks. The main updates concern the following areas:
- Reflecting current regulatory trends and developments. In particular, the draft incorporates provisions addressing the heightened attention that foreign antitrust authorities are paying to the digital economy.
- Providing more detailed guidance on specific jurisdictions. The revised document identifies representative jurisdictions characterized by active antitrust enforcement, significant levels of investment and M&A activity by Chinese companies, and distinctive antitrust legal systems.
- Improving access to compliance support and resources. A dedicated chapter has been added to provide companies with information on support services and access to compliance management resources, including ways and channels for reporting issues and obtaining assistance.
- Strengthening the preventive effect of the guidelines. The revised version includes 15 illustrative examples from recent global antitrust practice.
The document is accompanied by annexes, including a self-assessment checklist for antitrust risks, key elements of a compliance management system, procedures to follow in the event of dawn raids and antitrust warnings, and an overview of M&A thresholds and review criteria, among others.
Source: SAMR
Meeting on Combating Price Violations and Unfair Competition
On September 23, a meeting was held in Chengdu on strengthening regulatory capacity in the areas of price regulation and combating unfair competition.
The meeting emphasized that regulatory activities should focus on three areas:
- protecting competition and ensuring a fair “playing field”;
- establishing market rules to maintain order, including by strengthening efforts against unfair competition and developing long-term regulatory mechanisms; and
- protecting the public interest for the benefit of businesses and the general population.
During the meeting, a report on price regulation and combating unfair competition in 2025 was presented. According to the report, authorities handled 41,000 cases involving violations of price-related legislation, nearly 6,000 cases involving improper charges imposed on businesses (with more than RMB 1.3 billion returned to enterprises), 15,000 unfair competition cases, and nearly 4,000 cases involving illegal direct marketing and pyramid schemes.
These enforcement measures were presented as providing a solid foundation for high-quality economic development, improving public welfare, and maintaining a market order based on fair competition.
4th Antitrust Compliance Lecture
On September 18, SAMR held its fourth antitrust compliance lecture of 2026, focusing on the theme “Antitrust Compliance as a Guarantee for the Development of New Quality Productive Forces.”
The lecture provided an in-depth analysis of the competitive environment in the manufacturing sector and systematic explanations of the applicable antitrust legislation. SAMR emphasized that the institutional functions of antitrust regulation — protecting competition and promoting innovation — are closely aligned with the objectives of developing “new quality productive forces,” and that strengthening efforts in this area provides a solid legal foundation for their development.
Source: SAMR
