Review №22 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- China Releases Draft Amendments to E-Commerce Law
- China Marks 10 Years ofFair Competition Review System*
- Alibaba Joins GeSI Sustainability Initiative
- Overseas Antitrust Series: Mexico
- South Korea Launches Antitrust Probe into Chinese Container Makers
China Releases Draft Amendments to E-Commerce Law
China has published draft amendments to its E-Commerce Law for public consultation. Introduced in 2019 to support the development of the platform economy, the law is being updated to reflect rapid changes in China's digital economy.
The proposed amendments aim to strengthen the social responsibility of online platforms, improve marketplace operators' compliance obligations, refine regulatory approaches by shifting the focus from traffic and profits to innovation and quality, and enhance provisions on technological innovation, openness and industry self-regulation to boost the global competitiveness of Chinese platforms.
The draft also proposes stronger protections for gig economy workers, differentiated obligations for marketplace operators based on the services they provide, and new enforcement measures, including the suspension of user registrations and access to online services.
Source: SAMR
China Marks 10 Years ofFair Competition Review System
Over the past decade, China has reviewed a total of 1.88 million regulatory documents under its fair competition review system to identify provisions that exclude or restrict competition. As a result, approximately 123,000 documents were amended or repealed.
The system is designed to regulate government measures affecting economic activity and prevent the adoption of policies that distort competition. It primarily targets local protectionism and market segmentation practices that have drawn criticism from businesses.
*A regulatory system for reviewing subordinate legislation and other normative documents to ensure they do not contain provisions that exclude or restrict competition.
Source: SAMR
Alibaba Joins GeSI Sustainability Initiative
The Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) has welcomed Alibaba Group as a new member. According to GeSI, Alibaba is expected to contribute in three key areas: sustainable data centers, AI for sustainability, and green digital transformation.
"Joining GeSI reflects our belief that the next wave of digital growth must be sustainable," said Wang Zhaoyang, CEO of Global Data Center Operations at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. "We look forward to working with technology companies, international organizations and other stakeholders through GeSI to build greener and smarter digital systems."
Overseas Antitrust Series: Mexico
China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has published the latest installment of its infographic series on foreign competition regimes, this time focusing on Mexico.
The publication outlines the country's key competition laws, merger notification thresholds and major categories of antitrust violations. Previous editions covered the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia, Chile and France.
Source: WeChat
South Korea Launches Antitrust Probe into Chinese Container Makers
South Korea's Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has launched an antitrust investigation into four Chinese container manufacturers: Singamas Container Holdings, China International Marine Containers (CIMC), Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment and CXIC Group Containers.
According to Chinese media citing KED Global, the companies are suspected of restricting production and fixing prices for standard dry freight containers.
The investigation follows a U.S. Department of Justice indictment alleging violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Prosecutors claim the companies nearly doubled global container prices during the pandemic while their profits increased almost one hundredfold, contributing to disruptions in global supply chains.
Source: WeChat
