- Report on the changing role of digital platforms
- How much do food delivery workers earn?
- SAMR data exchange with the public procurement system
- Reducing food waste on food delivery platforms
- The number of M&A applications has decreased by 17.4%
- Lecture on Antitrust Guidelines for SEP
Report on the changing role of digital platforms
The School of Economics of the Central University of Finance and Economics and the China Institute of Internet Economics jointly released a report entitled “Transformation of Digital Platforms: New Features and Emerging Trends”. According to the report, over the past three years, the digital platform market has undergone three key changes: from “rough” extensive development to carefully calibrated self-control, from autonomous systems to an interconnected network, and from selfish concern for self-development to a win-win ecosystem for all participants.
In this regard, the report proposes to divide digital platforms not only by their scale, but also by their positioning in the digital innovation ecosystem in order to better reflect their unique capabilities and characteristics of the current stage of development. In particular, it proposes to distinguish such types as “open ecosystem platform”, “content distribution platform”, “service aggregator platform”, etc.
It is noted that there is a need to create a softer and more flexible governance mechanism to help enterprises effectively interact with governing bodies and hear each other's opinions. It is emphasized that it is difficult to assess the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies, products and models when they have just appeared, and only after some time of operation does it become clear what and how needs to be optimized and improved. The authors of the report believe that initiatives to regulate the Internet economy should be precise and effective, following the concept of "minimally invasive surgery", supplemented by a development policy with "hematopoietic" functions.
Source: WeChat
How much do food delivery workers earn?
In the last ten years, the number of couriers employed by food delivery platforms has reached one million. According to data from Meituan, one of the largest food delivery platforms, in the third quarter of this year, the average monthly income of couriers across the country ranged from 5,720 yuan to 10,865 yuan: in the largest cities (Tier 1) - from 7,629 to 10,865 yuan, and in smaller cities - from 5,720 to 7,803 yuan. Couriers with an average monthly income of more than 10,000 yuan are mainly concentrated in the north of the country, as well as in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. According to research published by the China Center for New Employment Research, the average total delivery time for takeaway orders is 6.9 hours per day during peak season and 5.1 hours during low season. According to the study, midday and evening are peak delivery times for delivery drivers, leaving the rest of the day at their disposal.
The Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) found that when delivery drivers are migrant workers, the city treats them only as economic agents, not as full-fledged citizens. Under such social pressure, many delivery drivers decide to save up money and return to their hometown, or switch to other jobs with a higher social status.
Source: WeChat
SAMR data exchange with the public procurement system
In recent years, SAMR has been gradually strengthening data sharing and cooperation with the State Office of the Ministry of Finance to maintain a fair and impartial government procurement system.
By the end of November 2024, SAMR had provided a total of 194,000 pieces of basic information on enterprises, administrative penalties, business abnormalities, serious violations of the law, and credit abuse.
These pieces of information have contributed to the effective implementation of disciplinary measures for credit abuse and ensured the fair and impartial operation of the government procurement system.
In turn, the State Office of the Ministry of Finance has provided SAMR with 15,000 pieces of information on enterprises' participation in government procurement, administrative penalties, unfair practices, etc., which has enriched the information resources of the National Enterprise Creditworthiness System and provided material for big data monitoring and analysis, compilation of China's enterprise credit index, and credit risk classification and management.
Source: SAMR
Reducing food waste on food delivery platforms
SAMR has published a Food Waste Prevention Guide for Food Delivery Services. The document imposes responsibility for reducing food waste on both suppliers (catering establishments) and the online platforms themselves. In particular, enterprises are required to prohibit live broadcasts that promote food waste and overeating. Services, in turn, are required to optimize the display of information about dishes, strengthen control over advertising published by suppliers, etc. The guide also calls on online platforms, industry associations and catering brands to strengthen cooperation in promoting and popularizing knowledge about conscious food consumption.
Source: SAMR
The number of M&A applications has decreased by 17.4%
On January 26 this year, updated criteria for filing concentration petitions came into force – the increased threshold removed the need to file a petition for small mergers and acquisitions. Over the past 10 months, SAMR has received 580 petitions, which is 17.4% less than in the same period last year. The average review time was 26.6 days, including 17.5 days for the simplified procedure – this is one of the best performance indicators among various antitrust jurisdictions around the world.
Source: SAMR
Lecture on Antitrust Guidelines for SEP
On December 6th, SAMR held its 8th Antitrust Compliance Lecture in Beijing, focusing on the recently published Antitrust Guidelines for Standard Essential Patents. SAMR emphasized the need to comply with the new document and the Antitrust Law of the People's Republic of China, to be conscientious about antitrust compliance, to effectively identify, assess and prevent relevant risks, and to voluntarily contact antitrust authorities if risks of restricting competition are detected.
Source: WeChat
