Review № 17 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- China’s JD launched JoyExpress in Saudi Arabia
- CPAC SAMR delegation visited the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre
- SAMR approved Bunge–Viterra merger with additional restrictive conditions
- The Italian regulator has launched an investigation into DeepSeek
- China approved setup of National Platform Econ Governance Standardization Technical Committee
- China’s NetEase Cloud Music sued Tencent Music for anti-competitive behavior
- China’s antitrust watchdog delays approval of $35 billion mergerbetween Synopsys and Ansys
China’s JD launched JoyExpress in Saudi Arabia
The logistics division of Chinese retailer JD has launched its JoyExpress express delivery service abroad for the first time. The company has entered the Saudi Arabian market and offers same-day delivery services.
With the launch of JoyExpress, JD has now established a fully self-operated logistics chain in the Middle East, encompassing warehousing, transport and last-mile delivery.
Source: China Daily
CPAC SAMR delegation visited the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre
On June 17, the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) hosted a roundtable discussion entitled “New Challenges for Antitrust Regulation: The Chinese Perspective.” Special guests of the event included representatives from the Competition Policy and Assessment Center of the State Administration for Market Regulation (CPAC SAMR), the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS Russia), and the Eurasian Economic Commission. Members of the CPAC delegation spoke about the organization and achievements of the Center and shared China’s experience in regulating digital platforms. During the meeting, participants presented their views on the development of antitrust regulation and outlined directions for bilateral cooperation.
SAMR approved Bunge–Viterra merger with additional restrictive conditions
On June 16, SAMR issued a statement approving the merger of the world’s two largest agribusiness traders, Bunge and Viterra, with additional restrictive conditions. SAMR analyzed the potential impact of the deal on the global grain market and competition in the domestic market for soybeans and other agricultural products. Bunge and Viterra committed to ensuring stable agricultural product supplies, maintaining reasonable prices, and protecting the interests of both producers and consumers.
In the future, SAMR will closely monitor the progress of this deal, oversee Bunge and Viterra’s fulfillment of their obligations, protect the principles of fair competition, and ensure the proper functioning of the relevant agricultural product markets in China.
Source: SAMR
The Italian regulator has launched an investigation into DeepSeek
The Italian antitrust regulator (AGCM) has announced the launch of an investigation into the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek. According to AGCM, the company did not provide users with “sufficiently clear, timely, and understandable” warnings that the AI may generate inaccurate, unreliable, or entirely fabricated data.
This is not the first clash between the Chinese company and Italian regulators. In February 2025, DeepSeek was removed from online app stores due to concerns raised by the Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante). At that time, the regulator requested information from the company regarding users’ personal data collected through the app, including whether this data was stored on servers in China. Garante deemed the company’s responses insufficient and decided to restrict Italian users’ access to the DeepSeek chatbot.
Source: Weixin
China approved setup of National Platform Econ Governance Standardization Technical Committee
The State Administration for Market Regulation of China (SAMR) has officially approved the establishment of the National Platform Economy Governance Standardization Technical Committee.
The committee will focus on detailing laws and regulations, including the E-commerce Law and the Regulations on Online Trade Supervision. Special attention will be given to combating internal involution-style (nèi juǎn) competition, violations in live commerce, and other key issues in the platform economy sector.
Representatives from platforms, sellers, trading companies, government agencies, research institutions, industry associations, and consumers will participate in the committee’s work. SAMR emphasizes its commitment to ensuring openness and transparency in the activities of the new committee.
Source: Weixin
China’s NetEase Cloud Music sued Tencent Music for anti-competitive behavior
On June 5, the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Court began hearing a high-profile antitrust lawsuit. NetEase Cloud Music and its subsidiaries accuse Tencent Music of abusing its dominant position in the online music market.
NetEase claims that the competitor engaged in restrictive practices, including creating technological barriers and monopolizing content.
The list of defendants also includes the film company Dongyang Huanyu, whose activities are not directly related to music platforms.
The outcome of the case has the potential to reshape the landscape of the Chinese online streaming market, where Tencent has traditionally held a leading position.
Source: Weixin
China’s antitrust watchdog delays approval of $35 billion mergerbetween Synopsys and Ansys
SAMR has postponed its approval of a proposed $35 billion merger between the American software development companies Synopsys and Ansys, which was supposed to be completed in the first half of this year.
According to the report, this decision was made in response to Washington tightening export restrictions on chip design software (EDA) in May. The new rules prohibit Synopsys and Cadence from supplying key semiconductor development tools to China, which has paralyzed Synopsys’s operations in China.
A particular problem is created by Synopsys’s licensing system: due to the new restrictions, Chinese clients will lose access to the software within a year, as the company will no longer be able to provide annual activation keys. Moreover, the company has not only halted sales and technical support in China but also temporarily disabled the SolvNetPlus platform, depriving Chinese customers of updates and maintenance.
Source: Reuters
