Review № 29 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Antitrust Investigation Against NVIDIA
- China Unicom Data Center Powered by Chinese Chips
- New Developments in the TikTok Deal
- “Educational” Talk with the Ctrip Platform
- Lists of Market Competition Violators
- Antitrust Compliance Lecture for Foreign Companies
- 30 AI-Related Standards Published in China in 2025
- Regulations on Online Activities of Religious Clergy
Antitrust Investigation Against NVIDIA
SAMR has announced the launch of an antitrust investigation against NVIDIA, accusing the company of violating China’s anti-monopoly laws and breaching the conditions attached to its acquisition of Mellanox Technologies.
NVIDIA acquired Mellanox Technologies in 2019. At the time, China’s antitrust authority determined that the deal could restrict competition in both the global and Chinese markets for GPU accelerators, network interconnect equipment, and high-speed Ethernet adapters. The deal was approved with specific conditions, including: prohibiting the bundling of NVIDIA GPUs with Mellanox high-speed networking products, maintaining compatibility between NVIDIA GPUs and third-party networking devices, ensuring that Mellanox networking products remain compatible with accelerators from other manufacturers, and upholding Mellanox’s commitments to open-source software, among other requirements.
Following the announcement, NVIDIA shares fell by more than 2% in U.S. pre-market trading.
China Unicom Data Center Powered by Chinese Chips
China Unicom has built a massive data centre powered by domestically developed artificial intelligence chips from Alibaba and other companies, as Beijing seeks to wean itself off foreign technologies.
China has been increasingly urging local companies to transition to homegrown chips, citing security concerns related to the use of products from the American tech giant Nvidia.
The China Unicom data center, located in Xining, the capital of the western province of Qinghai, has a total investment of $390 million. Upon completion, its computing power is expected to reach 20,000 petaflops.
Currently, approximately 72% of the chips have been supplied by Alibaba’s T-Head unit, with the remaining share coming from MetaX, Biren Tech, and Zhonghao Xinying.
Source: Reuters
New Developments in the TikTok Deal
On September 14–15, during negotiations in Madrid, China and the United States reached a framework consensus on the future operation of TikTok in the U.S. market.
According to The Guardian, the current plan involves transferring TikTok’s U.S. assets to new owners based in the United States. “We have a whole group of very large companies that would like to buy them,” commented Donald Trump.
The main public concern centers around the fate of TikTok’s algorithms. At a press conference in Madrid, a deputy head of China’s cybersecurity authority stated that the agreed terms include provisions for the licensing of algorithms and other intellectual property.
The exact details of the deal have not yet been disclosed. To allow time for the necessary approvals, Trump extended the grace period permitting TikTok to operate within the U.S. territory.
Sources: Renmin Ribao, The Guardian
“Educational” Talk with the Ctrip
The Zhengzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation held a warning meeting with the online travel services platform Ctrip. An investigation found that the platform had engaged in unfair competition by using technical means to unjustifiably restrict transactions and manipulate pricing.
The company was required to revise its service terms, optimize its pricing tools, and establish an effective long-term compliance mechanism.
Source: WeChat
Lists of Market Competition Violators
SAMR has begun publishing lists of the most egregiously non-compliant market participants found to have engaged in irrational competition. The purpose of these publications is to deter and curb unlawful behavior that undermines fair competition, while promoting the development of a healthy market environment.
The first list includes five companies that received administrative penalties for producing and selling substandard products and engaging in other activities that disrupted market order. These companies operate in sectors such as sporting goods, meat products, textiles, and others. The document provides the full legal names of the entities involved, along with detailed information about their respective violations.
Source: SAMR
Antitrust Compliance Lecture for Foreign Companies
On September 18, SAMR held its eighth antitrust compliance lecture of 2025 in Beijing. The event featured guest speaker Professor Huang Yong from the University of International Business and Economics. Professor Huang provided guidance on how foreign companies operating in China can comply with competition laws amid the realities of economic globalization. Drawing on representative case studies, he analyzed various forms of anti-competitive behavior and highlighted key elements of corporate compliance management. The goal of the lecture was to help foreign enterprises accurately understand China’s legal framework and enforcement trends, establish effective antitrust compliance systems, and contribute to maintaining a fair and orderly market environment
Source: WeChat
30 AI-Related Standards Published in China in 2025
SAMR has announced that, as of now, 30 national standards in the field of artificial intelligence have been published in China, with an additional 84 currently under active development. These standards aim to cover all key areas of the AI industry — from foundational software and hardware to advanced technologies, sector-specific applications, and safety concerns.
“Standards accelerate the adoption of innovation. They serve as a true ‘navigator’ and ‘accelerator’ for the industry,” SAMR representatives emphasized. For example, the standard "Methods for Labeling AI-Generated Content” has acted as a type of “protective barrier,” helping to define ethical boundaries for the use of AI technologies and promoting their development within a legal and regulated framework.
It was also highlighted that China is strengthening its influence in the international AI standardization arena. The international standard "Guidelines for Risk Management of Generative AI", initiated by China, has already entered the fast-track development phase. This marks the first time China has led the process of shaping global rules in this area.
Source: SAMR
Regulations on Online Activities of Religious Clergy
The State Administration for Religious Affairs of China has issued the “Regulations on the Online Activities of Religious Personnel.”
The document stipulates that religious figures must demonstrate patriotism and support the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system. It specifically emphasizes that sermons, religious lectures, and teachings are only permitted through official websites, apps, forums, and other officially registered platforms. The regulations prohibit the use of the internet for self-promotion, participation in or facilitation of religious expansion from abroad, dissemination of extremist ideas, promotion of heresies or occult teachings, and profiting under the guise of religion.
These rules aim to ensure legality and order in the realm of online religion, prevent abuses, and maintain social harmony.
Source: Religious Affairs Administration
