China: As caseloads increase, MOFCOM aims for ‘level playing field’

As China’s Ministry of Commerce reported an 8 percent increase in competition cases in 2013 than in 2012, reports say the regulator is looking to draft new competition rules that “will level the playing field.”

According to one competition official, MOFCOM has finished a draft of the legislation, entitled “Imposing Restrictive Conditions on the Concentration of Undertakings.” The new rules, which would replace the 2010 interim provisions, are expected to be released in the first half of this year, the official said.

The draft follows Thursday’s revelation that MOFCOM had received a total of 224 antitrust filings in 2013. The regulator also said that since the nation’s Anti-Monopoly Law was first enacted in 2008, the nation has concluded 740 antitrust cases, out of a total of 866.

The increasing numbers follow announcements by Chinese competition authorities that the nation will tighten its grip on anticompetitive conduct. Those increased efforts have earned some criticism, however, that authorities could be unfairly targeting non-Chinese firms. China has denied those allegations.

Full Content: ECNS.cn

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