Review №38 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Article by the Head of SAMR in Qiushi
- Risk of a “bubble” in the embodied-AI
- ASPI report on “Party AI”
- Unfair competition on mobile-app platforms
- 5th Seminar on Fair Competition
- 11th Lecture on Antitrust Compliance
Article by the Head of SAMR in Qiushi
The head of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Luo Wen, published an article in the leading journal of the CPC Central Committee, Qiushi, titled “Resolutely Breaking Through Obstacles and Bottlenecks Hindering the Creation of a Unified National Market.” In the article, he highlights five characteristics that enable such a market to function effectively:
- A unified institutional foundation (i.e., uniform policies and coherent rules) — helps reduce institutional transaction costs, increases the predictability of economic activity, lowers risks associated with uncertainty, and thereby stimulates innovation.
- Unified market infrastructure — promotes the free flow of logistics, capital, and information, constitutes a practical necessity for the smooth circulation of production factors, and forms the “main artery” of the economic cycle.
- Unified standards for government authorities — a pragmatic measure aimed at curbing the abuse of administrative power, minimizing unwarranted state interference in resource allocation and economic activity.
- Unified market regulation — will help better ensure that all market participants compete on a fair basis and receive equal legal protection.
- Unified factors-of-production markets — to enable their efficient use by advanced productive forces.
Sourсу: Qiushi
Risk of a “bubble” in the embodied-AI market
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has noted high risks of a potential “bubble” in the embodied-AI market (the production of humanoid robots). According to NDRC spokesperson Li Chao, thanks to innovation and demand, the humanoid AI industry is experiencing rapid growth (over 50%). Currently, more than 150 companies producing humanoid robots operate in China, and this number continues to grow. However, some experts are concerned that today’s mass production of robots is driven not by real demand but rather by pseudo-demand or the need to conduct demonstrations and testing. This means that once the hype subsides, purchases may stop—potentially causing the bubble to burst and plunging the industry into a “temporary slump”.
Li Chao emphasized that in a situation where opportunities and risks coexist, the key to success lies in rational regulation. Efforts will be accelerated to develop industry standards and evaluation systems, create and improve market-access mechanisms for embodied intelligence, establish a fair and competitive market environment, and ensure the orderly development of the industry.
Source: WeChat
ASPI report on “Party AI”
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has published a report titled “Party AI: How China’s New AI Systems Are Reshaping Human Rights.” The authors show how the development of artificial intelligence is helping China’s system of state control evolve into a highly precise tool for managing the population. The report describes the means by which the Chinese Communist Party automates censorship, intensifies surveillance, and preemptively suppresses dissent. Key findings include (but are not limited to):
- Chinese LLMs apply political censorship not only to text but also to images;
- the Chinese government is integrating AI into all spheres of criminal justice — from law enforcement and mass surveillance to “smart” courts and prisons;
- China uses minority-language LLMs to enhance surveillance and control of ethnic minorities both within China and abroad;
- a significant share of online censorship work in China is now performed by AI;
- the use of AI strengthens state-supported violations of the economic rights of vulnerable groups overseas, bringing financial benefits to Chinese private and state-owned companies.
Source: ASPI
Unfair competition on mobile-app platforms
On 26 November, SAMR held a meeting with mobile-phone manufacturers and mobile-app-store operators, reminding them of the need to engage in fair market competition. SAMR noted that unfair competitive practices are frequently used in the mobile-app market: traffic interception, forced redirection, intentional software incompatibility, and others. The regulator stressed that market players must comply with relevant laws and business ethics and work together to create a healthy, orderly, and mutually beneficial ecosystem.
Source: WeChat
5th Seminar on Fair Competition
On 27 November, SAMR held the fifth seminar of 2025 for companies, dedicated to fair competition. During the seminar, representatives of the regulator met with foreign companies operating in China, including Samsung, BMW, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Procter & Gamble, IKEA, and others. SAMR emphasized its intention to increase openness in the field of competition, decisively remove obstacles hindering the functioning of the unified national market, create an internationalized business environment, and actively support the development of market participants regardless of their organizational form.
Source: SAMR
11th Lecture on Antitrust Compliance
As part of the lecture series on antitrust compliance held by China’s market regulator SAMR, the 11th lecture was delivered on the topic “Antitrust Regulation in the Field of Intellectual Property Rights.” SAMR noted that in its work it always strives to combine strengthened regulation with support for development. An important task is to align the protection of intellectual property rights with the advancement of fair competition, preventing the abuse of IP rights while simultaneously supporting technological and industrial innovation. More than 100 companies attended the lecture online and offline.
Source: SAMR
