Reigning in Monopolistic Behaviors in the Platform Economy

On Feb. 7, 2021, two months after the issuance of the draft for soliciting public comments, the Anti-Monopoly Committee of the State Council released the final version of the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for the Platform Economy Sector (the Guidelines) (关于平台经济领域的反垄断指南), which took effect on the same day.

…the regulatory attitude of these Guidelines reflects the Chinese government's emphasis on anti-monopoly enforcement in the platform economy sector, and it is also a direct response to the requirement of strengthening anti-monopoly enforcement and preventing disorderly expansion of capital…

The introduction of the Guidelines marks Chinese regulators' inclusion of market activities in the platform economy under the anti-monopoly regulatory scope. It is worthy to note that the regulatory attitude of these Guidelines reflects the Chinese government's emphasis on anti-monopoly enforcement in the platform economy sector, and it is also a direct response to the requirement of strengthening anti-monopoly enforcement and preventing disorderly expansion of capital, which was requested by the Central Political Bureau in a meeting held on Dec. 11, 2020.