Review № 25 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Over 13 million new businesses were registered in H1 of the year
- Draft Regulations on the Safety Control of Food Products Sold Online
- Press conference dedicated to the launch of the M&A review delegation system
- Declaration on the Self-Regulation of Passenger Air Transportation
- Initiative for Maintaining Fair Competition in the Energy Storage Industry (Draft)
Over 13 million new businesses were registered in H1 of the year
In the first half of 2025, 13.278 million new market entities were established in China, including 4.62 million companies, 8.629 million individual businesses, and 29,000 farmers' cooperatives.
Private and foreign enterprises have shown positive development dynamics. In the first half of the year, the number of private market entities increased by 4.6%, and the number of foreign ones by 4.1% compared to the same period last year. This indicates improving market expectations and confirms that China remains an attractive destination for global investment.
Source: SAMR
Draft Regulations on the Safety Control of Food Products Sold Online
A draft regulation on food safety oversight for products sold on online marketplaces has been submitted for public consultation. Part of the responsibility for the quality and safety of food products is proposed to be placed on the online platforms themselves: they will be required to monitor these aspects, employ relevant specialists (such as food safety inspectors, etc.), and implement a risk control mechanism based on the formula “daily monitoring, weekly inspection, monthly coordination.”
Press conference dedicated to the launch of the M&A review delegation system
On the occasion of the official launch of the system for delegating the review of petitions concerning economic concentration transactions, SAMR held a press conference on the topic “Innovative Regulatory System, Stimulating Business Activity, and Promoting the Creation of a Unified National Market.” Representatives of the agency explained that over the three years during which the system operated in pilot mode, the criteria for submitting petitions were revised: now 15–20% of small and medium-sized transactions do not require petition submission, significantly reducing the parties’ costs.
The speakers also touched upon smart technologies used in this field: for example, a mechanism for warning about possible risks is actively used. When submitting applications in the online system, pop-up windows appear that provide information about applicable risks and legal liability. The agency also provides telephone consultations: on average, about 25 telephone inquiries are received per week regarding the submission of M&A applications.
Кроме In addition, digital interaction between the applicant and the reviewing party has been activated. At the application stage, companies can familiarize themselves with antitrust legislation in the system and prepare materials in a more targeted manner; after submitting an application online, the system automatically distributes requests among the relevant departments, and companies can track the progress of the review in real time. Once a decision on the review has been made, the system notifies applicants via SMS messages.
As reference information, applicants can use open data on already approved transactions: the database includes over 6,000 cases approved without conditions and more than 1,800 cases reviewed through a simplified procedure.
Declaration on the Self-Regulation of Passenger Air Transportation
The China Air Transport Association (CATA) has published a Declaration on the Self-Regulation of Passenger Air Transport. Special attention is given to strengthening measures against monopolies and unfair competition. It is stated that all member companies of the Association are required to strictly comply with the provisions of laws such as the "Price Law," the "Law Against Unfair Competition," and others, as well as to refrain from malicious actions aimed at driving out competitors (dumping, false advertising, etc.).
The declaration also includes the Association’s commitment to monitor the rules for setting prices, ticket returns, and exchanges, strictly prohibiting improper tied sales and price markups.
Source: WeChat
Initiative for Maintaining Fair Competition in the Energy Storage Industry (Draft)
The China Industrial Association of Power Sources has published a draft Initiative to Maintain Fair Competition and Promote the Healthy Development of the Energy Storage Industry, aimed at combating artificial price undercutting in the sector. The initiative states that companies should offer reasonable prices considering costs and risks, and also encourage competitiveness based on technical solutions, service capabilities, and total lifecycle cost.
The association will establish a supervisory mechanism and will curb unfair competition. Currently, the initiative has been signed by 149 enterprises, including leading companies such as BYD, EVE Energy, Huawei Digital Energy, and others (ranging from battery manufacturers to technology companies).
Source: WeChat
