China Antitrust News Today

The State Administration for Market Regulation has imposed dozens of fines since late 2020 against Big Tech firms over failures to disclose mergers and acquisitions.

Once a largely toothless watchdog, China’s anti-monopoly bureau was upgraded and let loose this year, bringing discipline to the corporate behaviour of tech giants that had been tolerated, if not encouraged, for years.

Comments suggest that the antitrust watchdog is unlikely to initiate fresh investigations or issue hefty fines for the practice in the near term.

Chinas market regulator said it was fining companies including Alibaba, Baidu, and JD.com for failing to declare 43 deals that date as far back as 2012 to authorities, saying that they violated anti-monopoly legislation.

Hong Kong stocks slip to near two-week low as tech extends slide on regulatory risks while Alibaba mitigates market losses Alibaba jumped 6.5 per cent in Hong Kong to add US$39.6 billion in value, its biggest advance since an 8.5 per cent surge on January 20 Tech stock barometer declined 1.6 per cent as analysts see business risks from China’s short regulatory leash

China Fines Alibaba Record $2.8 Billion After Monopoly Probe Bloomberg 23 mins ago Bloomberg News © Bloomberg Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk past the Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. logo displayed in front of the companys building in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to slap TikTok-style sanctions on more Chinese companies and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., as the largest of them all, may be next in line. (Bloomberg) ...

China’s new rule book for antitrust regulators may make it more complicated to single out Big Tech monopolies.