Review № 18 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- China Adopts Revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law
- China Implements New Tax Rules for Internet Platforms
- SAMR Introduces Online Database of Economic Concentration Cases
- SAMR Publishes "Blacklist" of Companies Selling Substandard Products
- China's Bike-Sharing Platform Hellobike Teams up with Ant Group and CATL to Enter Autonomous Taxi Market
- Geely Enters Brazilian Automotive Market
- Chinese Online Retailer JD Expands Into Hotel and Tourism Sector
- Chinese Logistic Giant Cainiao Launches Cross-Border Delivery Service to Six Gulf Countries
China Adopts Revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law
The 16th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress adopted a revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law, which will enter into force on October 15, 2025.
The fundamental law for ensuring fair competition and regulating the market order was enacted in 1993 and has been amended twice, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The latest draft includes new provisions regarding digital economy.
Revised law prohibits platform operators from forcing merchants to sell goods at prices below cost. According to experts, such practices not only reduce the quality of goods, but also undermine the position of small businesses forced to participate in price wars.
The law obliges platform operators to establish clear rules for fair competition, create mechanisms for submitting complaints and resolving disputes. The document specifies measures against new forms of unfair competition, such as data manipulation, ad blocking, etc.
Source: Xinhua
China Implements New Tax Rules for Internet Platforms
The State Council of the People's Republic of China has approved new rules obliging Internet platforms to regularly report tax-related information of businesses and workers operating on their platforms, in a move to promote the high-quality development of the platform economy.
According to the State Council, the new rules require platform operators to submit identity and income information of both businesses and workers using their platforms to local tax authorities. The Ministry of Justice and the State Taxation Administration emphasized that the "new tax reporting rules for internet platform companies will not increase the tax burden for the vast majority of businesses and workers operating on these platforms."
The rules also clarify exemptions. Platform workers engaged in public convenience services such as delivery, transport and housekeeping — who either qualify for tax exemptions or fall outside the scope of tax obligations — are not required to have their income reported.
Sources: ChinaDaily, ChinaTax
SAMR Introduces Online Database of Economic Concentration Cases
SAMR has added two new functions to the online System for Economic Concentration Control. Now companies can query the list of unconditionally approved cases (6,461 cases since the Antimonopoly Law came into force) and the list of cases reviewed in a simplified manner (1,828 cases since the launch of the system). These measures were implemented in response to business community requests raised during the antimonopoly authority’s regular meetings on competition issues.
Source: SAMR
SAMR Publishes "Blacklist" of Companies Selling Substandard Products
SAMR has released a "blacklist" of companies manufacturing and selling non-compliant goods, exacerbating unhealthy "involutionary" competition.
Among the violators were manufacturers of substandard plumbing fixtures, fire doors failing to meet safety standards, and gas stoves without emergency shut-off systems — posing serious risks to consumer safety.
The implicated companies have been fined, and all defective products have been confiscated.
Source: Weixin
China's Bike-Sharing Platform Hellobike Teams up with Ant Group and CATL to Enter Autonomous Taxi Market
China's bike-sharing platform Hellobike has announced the setup of a joint venture with Ant Group and CATL to enter the self-driving taxi market. The new company, Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology, with a registered capital of 1.3 billion yuan, will focus on developing L4 autonomous driving technologies, their safe implementation and commercialization.
In the competitive robotaxi market, the new operator will face rivals such as Baidu Apollo, Didi, WeRide, and Pony.ai. About 2000 autonomous taxis of Baidu Apollo, the industry leader since 2001, already operates across Beijing, Wuhan, and Chongqing.
Source: STCN
Geely Enters Brazilian Automotive Market
Chinese automaker Geely will take 26% stake in a joint venture controlled by France’s Renault Group in Brazil, marking its entry into the largest automotive market.
The joint venture will manufacture and distribute passenger vehicles under both the Renault and Geely brands, as well as Renault-branded light commercial vehicles. The partnership will strengthen Geely's brand presence in Brazil and broaden its market reach, the company recently announced.
Renault will retain nearly 74% of the joint venture’s equity, while an independent third party will hold the remaining 0.03%. The agreement with Geely is initially set for 20 years with an option for automatic renewal for an additional five years.
Source: Yicai Global
Chinese Online Retailer JD Expands Into Hotel and Tourism Sector
Following the recent launch of its food delivery service, Chinese online retail giant JD, has now set out plans to leverage its mature supply chain infrastructure and vast user base to enter the hotel and tourism services market.
Similar to its food delivery service JD Takeaway, the company is offering attractive terms to new partners by offering up to three years of zero commissions if hotel operators join its JD Hotel Plus Membership Program.
In the first quarter of this year, the company recorded its highest revenue growth in three years, driven by new initiatives such as its food delivery service, where it competes with Meituan.
Chinese media reported earlier that JD was hiring for travel-related roles, seeking candidates at major online travel agency, including Ctrip or Meituan, and offering triple salaries for core roles.
Source: Yicai Global
Chinese Logistic Giant Cainiao Launches Cross-Border Delivery Service to Six Gulf Countries
Cainiao, the logistics arm of Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group, has announced the launch of a cross-border logistics network covering six Gulf countries: the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. The service, offering a minimum delivery time of three days, will provide customized logistics solutions for local e-commerce platforms and cross-border sellers.
According to the announcement, this move marks a significant breakthrough in expanding Cainiao’s logistics capabilities and represents a milestone in the overseas expansion of Chinese logistics companies.
Source: China Daily
