Review №37 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Draft Rules on Personal Data Protection for Major Online Platforms
- Q3 2025 M&A Figures
- Housing for Couriers from Meituan’s Delivery Platform
- SAMR–WIPO Conference on IP Rights Protection
Draft Rules on Personal Data Protection for Major Online Platforms
China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) and the Ministry of Public Security have released a draft of the Rules on Personal Data Protection for Major Online Platforms for public consultation. The draft focuses on establishing a registry of major online platforms, introducing robust and controllable data protection systems, strengthening technical and infrastructure-level security measures, granting users the right to data portability, and creating mechanisms for external intervention when a platform’s internal capabilities prove insufficient or when risks become too high.
Under the draft, a platform is classified as “major” if it meets any of the following criteria: over 50 million registered users or more than 10 million MAU; provision of critical services or operation across multiple business lines; or access to important data whose leakage may significantly affect national security, economic activity, the national economy, or public welfare.
Q3 2025 M&A Figures
In the third quarter of 2025, Chinese authorities reviewed a total of 528 merger filings—an increase of 15.8% compared with the previous period. Of these, 514 transactions were cleared unconditionally, four were approved with remedies, one was blocked, and nine filings were withdrawn.
State-owned enterprises participated in 55.4% of transactions, foreign-invested enterprises in 42.4%, and private companies in 35.6%. A total of 308 transactions occurred between Chinese companies, 137 between foreign companies operating in China, and 69 involved mergers between Chinese and foreign entities. Most foreign participants came from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Germany.
308 сделок было заключено между китайскими компаниями, 137 — между иностранными компаниями на территории Китая, и 69 являлись слияниями компаний из Китая и других юрисдикций. При этом большинство иностранных участников происходили из таких стран, как Япония, США, Великобритания, Сингапур и Германия.
A total of 182 deals (35.4%) were in the manufacturing sector. Significant numbers of transactions also took place in utilities, finance, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, IT, and real estate.
Source: WeChat
Housing for Couriers from Meituan’s Delivery Platform
Meituan’s food-delivery platform will build residential complexes for couriers across China and provide them with rent subsidies. Couriers in need of housing will be able to apply for rental units, with Meituan’s subsidies reducing monthly rent to roughly half of prevailing market prices. All apartments for couriers will be furnished with eco-friendly furniture, household appliances, and internet access, with dedicated staff providing cleaning and maintenance services. Recently, the first group of 600 couriers moved into housing units in Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chongqing. Meituan will also cover initial utility costs—including water, electricity, heating, and internet — to reduce the financial burden on its workers.
Source: Meituan
SAMR–WIPO Conference on IP Rights Protection
An international conference on intellectual property rights protection was held in Suzhou on 20–21 November, co-organized by SAMR and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). During the event, SAMR and WIPO signed a memorandum of understanding.
The conference featured seven thematic sessions focused on topics such as the importance of IP protection, best practices and systems, the application of advanced technologies, strengthening global cooperation, the responsibilities and role of e-commerce platforms, and raising public awareness. The event brought together representatives from relevant agencies of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Denmark, South Korea, and Australia, as well as Chinese and international e-commerce platforms, businesses, experts, and scholars.
Source: SAMR
