China investigates Meituan and Alibaba units for suspected antitrust violations
SHANGHAI: China’s market regulator is investigating Meituan unit Beijing Sankuai Information Technology for suspected violations of unfair competition laws, the country’s official CCTV broadcaster reported on Saturday. China has been cracking down on monopolistic behaviour, most recently fining Trip.com 5.2 billion yuan ($776.41 million) over what the regulator said was its online hotel-booking…
China's market regulator is probing Meituan's Beijing Sankuai Information Technology for suspected antitrust violations, according to CCTV broadcaster CCTV. The investigation follows a recent crackdown on monopolistic practices, including a fine of 5.2 billion yuan ($776.41 million) against Trip.com for its online hotel-booking dominance.
The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) revealed that Alibaba's Hangzhou Taomei Aviation Services, Tongcheng Network Technology, and Tujia Online Information Technology (Tianjin) are also under investigation following initial findings. Tongcheng and Tujia confirmed their normal operations and cooperation with authorities on WeChat.
Meituan announced its willingness to cooperate with the authorities. The China Hotel Association reported that SAMR's Shanghai branch initiated an inquiry into four online hotel and travel booking platforms, pending confirmation of the platform operators. This move came after a meeting between SAMR and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism aimed at regulating the online booking industry.
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