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China’s Watchdog Grows Staff In Antitrust Bureau Due To Higher Workloads

By  |  October 18, 2021

China’s new SAMR is planning to exponentially grow its  Beijing head office, with the antitrust department getting the largest number of new hires, this during growing big tech clampdowns.

According to The Global Times, SAMR plans to hire 33 staff in its 2022 civil servant intake, with 18 designated for the anti-monopoly bureau.

These new employees will be engaged in antitrust policy research, anti-monopoly law enforcement, and anti-monopoly reviews related to concentration of business operators, according to a post online.

Since the end of 2020, China has mounted an anti-monopoly crackdown campaign targeting different industries, including the internet sector.

Related: China Fines Delivery Giant Meituan For Breaking Antitrust Laws

Earlier this month, Chinese food delivery platform Meituan was fined 3.44 billion yuan (US$533.5 million), or 3%t of its 2020 domestic revenue, for monopolistic practices by the SAMR.

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