Adrian Emch

July 2021 marked the two-year anniversary of the entry into force of Vietnam’s new Competition Law (Law No. 23/2018/QH14). Among other things, the Competition Law established a brand-new merger control regime implemented by the Vietnamese Competition and Consumer Authority (“VCCA”) under the (...)

On 6 August 2020, the lid was lifted on one of China’s biggest antitrust secrets. On that day, news broke out that a new book authored by the State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") featuring a compilation of antitrust rules had been launched. The compilation contains four (...)

On 31 March 2020 the Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC) commenced a public consultation on the commitments offered by three online travel agents (OTAs) to remove certain parity clauses in their existing and future contracts with accommodation providers in Hong Kong. The consultation (...)

On 18 March 2020 the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court (court) ruled in favor of Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group and its subsidiary (Yangtze Pharma) in an abuse of dominance case against its suppliers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). The court awarded the plaintiffs a record (...)

CHINA TABLES FIRST SET OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ANTI-MONOPOLY LAW* On 2 January 2020, China’s antitrust authority – the State Administration for Market Regulation (’SAMR’) – released a draft proposing amendments to the main antitrust statute in China, the Anti-Monopoly Law (’AML’), for public (...)

COMPETITION LAW WHISTLE-BLOWING TO PAY OFF IN CHINA?* As the number of leniency applications is down globally and competition authorities are struggling to find alternative sources of supply for antitrust complaints, China has circulated a draft rule to financially incentivise employee (...)

This article has been nominated for the 2020 Antitrust Writing Awards. Click here to learn more about the Antitrust Writing Awards. COMPETITION LAW WHISTLE-BLOWING TO PAY OFF IN CHINA ?* As the number of leniency applications is down globally and competition authorities are struggling to (...)

On 22 October 2019, the Hong Kong Competition Commission (“HKCC”) published a decision that the proposed sales survey of the Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (“HKAPI”) is not exempted from the prohibition on anti-competitive agreements as a result of the efficiency (...)

On 1 July 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) made public three sets of regulations to implement China’s Anti- Monopoly Law (AML): the Interim Regulation Prohibiting Monopoly Agreements; the Interim Regulation Prohibiting Conduct Abusing Dominant Market Positions; and (...)

On 1 July 2019, the amendments to Vietnam’s Competition Law came into effect. The amendments have the potential of marking the beginning of a new era. The revision of the Competition Law is in line with a push of economic liberalization by the government over the past few years. Efforts to (...)

NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL – CHINA’S SUPREME COURT PROPOSES NEW FRAMEWORK FOR RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE* In the last week of June 2019, a copy of a ground-breaking court ruling emerged on social media in China – the order by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) in the case between Yutai Technology (...)

On 29 April 2019, the Hong Kong Competition Commission (’HKCC’) published the Cooperation and Settlement Policy for Undertakings Engaged in Cartel Conduct (’Cooperation Policy’). In essence, the Cooperation Policy expands HKCC’s Leniency Policy, published in November 2015, just before the full (...)

China antitrust authority consults on agreements rules On 3 January 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released a draft of the Regulation on the Prohibition of Monopoly Agreement Conduct (Draft) on its website, inviting comments from interested stakeholders. The (...)

China proposes new rules to address perceived anti-competitive practices n the pharmaceutical industry* On 14 August 2017, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC“) released a draft of the Guidelines on Pricing Conduct by Business Operators for Drugs in Shortage and Active (...)

On 31 July 2017, the NDRC publicly announced its decision to sanction Zhejiang Second Pharma (an affiliate of a central-level SOE under the purview of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC)) and Tianjin Handewei Pharmaceuticals for abusing their dominance. In (...)

On 29 April 2017, the MOFCOM approved the merger between Dow and DuPont, subject to structural and behavioural conditions. The merger notification was submitted on 21 March 2016, which was accepted as complete on 6 May 2016. The review went into an extended phase 2, and the parties withdrew (...)

The NDRC, its local Guangdong bureau, and the SAIC recently investigated separate administrative monopoly cases involving drug procurement for public hospitals. Previously, the NDRC and its local offices had investigated drug procurement practices by local health and family planning (...)

On 2 April 2017, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court upheld the first-instance judgement relating to an unfair competition claim brought by Feihu Information Technology Tianjin Company and Sohu against Beijing Xiaoyi Interaction Network Technology. Xiaoyi operated an app that could play (...)

On 11 January 2017, the MOFCOM provided a summary of its 2016 antitrust activities. In 2016, the MOFCOM received 378 merger notifications, initiated 360 merger reviews, and completed 395 merger reviews, representing an increase of 7.4%, 6.5%, and 19%, respectively, from 2015. It (...)

On 30 December 2016, Abbott Laboratories’s acquisition of St Jude Medical was conditionally approved by the MOFCOM. On 4 July 2016, Abbott Laboratories submitted its notification to the MOFCOM, which was accepted as complete on 6 September 2016. The authority’s review entered phase 2 on 6 (...)

The NDRC found that 12 provincial governments had adopted policies that appointed specific electricity suppliers to construct electricity supply equipment in new residential areas and to unify fees. In response to the NDRC’s investigation and recommendation to comply with the AML, the 12 (...)

On 27 December 2016, the Shanghai Price Bureau published its decision to fine Shanghai Speed Fresh Logistics Co., Ltd. (Speed Fresh) for setting minimum prices in its distribution of pasteurised milk products. The authority had completed its investigation on 13 July 2016. The Shanghai (...)

The NDRC recently announced that, on 25 December 2016, the Shandong Price Bureau imposed a fine of RMB 120,000 on Weifang Longshunhe Pharmaceutical for obstructing an investigation under the AML. The NDRC and the Shandong Price Bureau was jointly investigating Weifang Longshunhe Pharmaceutical (...)

On 23 December 2016, the Guangdong High People’s Court upheld the first instance judgment dismissing a lawsuit filed by Chenyawang Animal Husbandry Cooperative (Chenyawang) for lack of jurisdiction. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the Huazhou General Food Company and the Huazhou (...)

The NDRC announced that applications for administrative reconsideration and administrative litigation of the Shaanxi Price Bureau’s decision in April 2016 relating to price fixing in the motor vehicle inspection fee sector have been unsuccessful. The Shaanxi Price Bureau’s decision, which was (...)

MOFCOM rules that foreign-to-foreign deal "jumped the gun" in breach of antitrust rules* In a decision adopted on 16 December 2016 and made public on 4 January 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM“) fined Japanese company Canon for failure to file its acquisition of Toshiba (...)

On 16 December 2016, the MOFCOM announced that it had fined Canon RMB 300,000 for failure to notify its proposed acquisition of Toshiba Medical Systems in accordance with the AML on time. Its decision was published on 4 January 2017. The proposed acquisition proceeded in 2 stages. In stage (...)

On 7 December 2016, the NDRC announced that it had investigated and fined Medtronic for engaging in RPM in breach of the AML. The NDRC found that, since 2014, Medtronic had agreed with its distributors to limit the resale, tender, and minimum prices of its cardiovascular, restorative (...)

NDRC continues resale price maintenance crack down* On 5 December 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC“) – one of the three Chinese antitrust authorities – issued its decision fining the local unit of Medtronic, a U.S.-listed medical device maker, for resale price (...)

On 28 November 2016, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) dismissed a petition for retrial brought by Mr Tong Hua against the Shanghai branch of China Mobile for its alleged abuse of market dominance. This case had already been before the Shanghai IntermediatePeople’s Court twice and the Shanghai (...)

Chinese payment encryption device suppliers fined for participation in government-orchestrated cartel* On 4 November 2016, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC“) – one of China’s antitrust authorities – published on its website three decisions, whereby three payment (...)

The NDRC and the Beijing Development and Reform Commission investigated the concrete industry management practices of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (Beijing Development Commission), in particular its quality control price policy. On 24 December 2014, (...)

On 8 October 2016, the Kunming Intermediate People’s Court amended its first-instance decision in the refusal to deal dispute between Yunnan Yingding Biological Energy, a biodiesel company, and Sinopec’s branch in Yunnan. In December 2014, the court had originally decided the case in the (...)

On 22 August 2016, the Beijing High People’s Court issued its judgment in the first follow-on damages antitrust case, dismissing an appeal for insufficient evidence. The judgment was released on 4 November 2016. In the case, the plaintiff, Mr Tian Junwei, had bought a box of Abbott infant (...)

On 29 July 2016, AB InBev’s acquisition of SABMiller was conditionally approved by the MOFCOM. With the acquisition, AB InBev acquires SABMiller’s 49% interest in CR Snow. When Anheuser-Busch acquired InBev back in 2008, the MOFCOM approved that acquisition on the condition that, inter alia, (...)

On 22 July 2016, the NDRC sanctioned 3 pharmaceutical companies for engaging in price fixing and joint boycotts in relation to estazolam tablets and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), in breach of Articles 13(1)(1) and 13(1)(5) of the Anti-Monopoly Law (AML). The 3 companies (Huazhong (...)

On 29 June 2016, the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People’s Court dismissed an antitrust lawsuit against Panasonic. The judgment was recently made public. The plaintiff, Shanghai Rijing Electric, one of Panasonic’s distributors of factory automation control products in Eastern China, had sued (...)

On 17 June 2016, the NDRC released the Guideline on the Determination of Illegal Gains from Monopolistic Conduct by Business Operators and the Setting of Fines (Consultation Draft) for public consultation. The consultation period ended on 6 July 2016. The draft guideline provides an (...)

On 14 June 2016, the State Council released the Opinion on the Establishment of the Fair Competition Review System in the Development of a Market System, which sets out the reasons for and requirements of the fair competition review system. The fair competition review system is aimed at (...)

The NDRC and the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission (Guangdong DRC) found that the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau (SMEB) violated Articles 8, 34, and 36 of the AML in its procurement of student supplies in 2011 and 2014. First, the SMEB guided businesses to make and implement a (...)

MOFCOM lifts merger control conditions on 2012 Walmart acquisition* On 8 June 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM“) released its decision to lift the conditions it had imposed on Walmart’s acquisition of 33.6% of the shares in Newheight Holdings. This acquisition in 2012 gave (...)

On 26 May 2016, the People’s Court in Shanghai Pudong New Area found in favor of Hantao in the company’s unfair competition lawsuit with Baidu. Dianping.com is a website owned by Hantao that collects local merchants’ information and attracts consumers to post reviews. Baidu was found to have (...)

The NDRC released the Guideline on the General Conditions and Procedures for Exemption of Monopolistic Agreements (Consultation Draft) for public consultation on 12 May 2016. The consultation period ended on 1 June 2016. The NDRC received nearly 200 comments and recommendations from 62 (...)

On 4 May 2016, the MOFCOM released 3 decisions in which it sanctioned various companies for failure to notify their transactions for antitrust review. The decisions were all made on 21 April 2016. In each case, the MOFCOM determined that the transaction constituted a concentration under (...)

On 21 April 2016, the SAIC reported a case where the Shandong AIC and the Ningxia AIC fined local bus companies for breaching Article 6 of the AUCL, which provides that public enterprises and other state- sanctioned monopolies must not force others to purchase goods from designated parties and (...)

On 13 April 2016, the Beijing High People’s Court released the Guideline on the Trial of Internet-Related Intellectual Property Right Cases. The guideline contains 42 provisions, covering copyright, trademark, and unfair competition issues. Specifically, there are two competition-related (...)

The Shaanxi Price Bureau fined the Shaanxi Motor Vehicle Inspection Industry Association and 31 motor vehicle inspection businesses in Xi’an, Shangluo, and Yangling for price fixing. Motor vehicle inspection fees were originally government guided in Shaanxi, and they became liberalised on 15 (...)

On 13 April 2016, the NDRC reported that the Shanghai Price Bureau recently fined Hanook Tire for engaging in RPM. From 2012 to 2013, Hanook signed agreements with its distributors in Shanghai relating to the sale of truck and bus tires and passenger car tires. Those agreements contained (...)

The NDRC released the Anti-Monopoly Guideline for the Automotive Industry (Consultation Draft) for public consultation on 23 March 2016. The consultation period ran from 23 March to 12 April 2016. The draft guideline covers market definition, monopoly agreements, abuse of dominance, and (...)

On 17 March 2016, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released its decision to dismiss an application to re-try a case in Shaanxi involving taxis and exclusive dealing. In that case, two private local taxi companies sued three other local taxi companies for exclusive dealing. The SPC made its (...)

During the week of 14 March 2016, the Chinese competition agencies and the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission (DG Comp) held seminars for the 12th EU-China Competition Policy Week in Beijing. On 14–15 March 2016, the NDRC Price Supervision and Anti-Monopoly Bureau (...)

On 2 February 2016, the NDRC released both the draft Guideline on the Application of Leniency in Cases Involving Horizontal Monopoly Agreements (draft leniency guideline) and the draft Guideline on Commitments in Anti-Monopoly Cases (draft commitment guideline) for public comment. The public (...)

On 31 December 2015, the NDRC issued the Guideline on the Abuse of Intellectual Property Rights (Consultation draft) (NDRC draft IPR guideline) for public comment. The public consultation period ended on 20 January 2016. The NDRC provided an update on consultation process on 1 February 2016. (...)

Recently, the SAIC published the decisions of its local offices in Hubei and Jiangxi relating to market sharing agreements by insurance companies. Both decisions involved coinsurance arrangements relating to accidental injury insurance for the construction industry. Hubei The Hubei (...)

NXP’s acquisition of Freescale was conditionally approved by the MOFCOM on 27 November 2015. Both companies are major players in the semiconductor industry. The notification was first accepted in May 2015 and review had entered extended phase 2, but the notification was withdrawn and then (...)

The Gansu Development and Reform Commission (Gansu DRC) recently undertook enforcement action in the car maintenance industry in Wuwei. One case involved pricing fixing, and the other was an administrative monopoly case. Price fixing The Gansu DRC fined 22 car maintenance businesses in (...)

Both the NDRC and the Chongqing Administration for Industry and Commerce (Chongqing AIC) have recently taken enforcement action to address anticompetitive conduct involving allopurinol. Allopurinol tablets are a common treatment for gout (known as hyperuricemia), widely used in clinical (...)

Leniency agreements are commonly offered by competition authorities to encourage entities engaging in anti-competitive conduct to come forward with information to assist with investigations; leniency is indeed generally regarded as one of the most successful tools for uncovering cartels, many (...)

On 20 August 2015, the MOFCOM approved Anheuser-Busch InBev’s acquisition of additional shares in Zhujiang Brewery. After the acquisition, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s interest in Zhujiang Brewery will be increased from 25.62% to 29.99%, but the composition of the board of directors and the (...)

On 17 August 2015, the NDRC found that the Bengbu Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission (Bengbu Health Commission) had abused its administrative power in its drug procurement practices. This is the NDRC’s first published antitrust enforcement decision in the pharmaceutical industry (...)

Yunnan DRC investigates abuse of administrative power and cartel in the telecommunications industry in Yunnan* On 2 June 2015, the NDRC announced that its local office in Yunnan Province, the Yunnan Development and Reform Commission (Yunnan DRC), found that the Yunnan Province (...)

Hunan AIC investigates shale brick cartel in Mayang* On 1 June 2015, the SAIC published the decisions made by the Hunan Administration for Industry and Commerce (Hunan AIC) in December 2014 and January 2015 relating to its investigation into a shale brick cartel in the Mayang Miao Autonomous (...)

On 12 August 2015, the SAIC published a decision made by the Liaoning Administration for Industry and Commerce (Liaoning AIC) on 1 June 2015 to sanction the Fushun branch of the Liaoning Tobacco Company (Fushun Tobacco) for abuse of dominance. The investigation was initiated in June 2014 in (...)

One of China’s first administrative monopoly court cases heard in Guangdong* On 28 May 2015, the Guangdong High People’s Court heard the appeal of the administrative monopoly case against the Guangdong Education Department filed by Shenzhen Sware Technology. The court is expected to announce (...)

Tied sales of landline telephone services investigated in Ningxia* The SAIC reported that, on 15 May 2015, the Administration for Industry and Commerce in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia AIC) suspended its antitrust investigation of the Ningxia branches of China Tietong, China (...)

Fujian Price Bureau adopts antitrust measures for the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone* On 30 April 2015, the Fujian Price Bureau issued the Anti-Price Monopoly Measures for the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone. The aims of the measures are to enhance the market price order, protect (...)

NDRC Investigates Administrative Monopoly in Hebei Province* On 26 September 2014, the NDRC announced that it had investigated the Transport Department, Price Bureau, and Finance Department of the Hebei Provincial Government for abuse of administrative power. This is the first time that (...)

Three Cement Companies in Jilin Province Fined RMB 114 million for Price Fixing* On 9 September 2014, the NDRC announced that its local price bureau in Jilin Province, the Jilin Price Bureau, had fined 3 cement companies (Jilin Yatai, Northern Cement, and Jidong Cement) a total of RMB 114.39 (...)

High tech under scrutiny in China* On April 26, 2013, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC“) - one of China’s three antitrust law enforcement bodies - noted on its website that it had held a meeting with certain industry participants to obtain feedback on the latest (...)

Recent Developments in Chinese Merger Control – MOFCOM Shifts up a Gear* The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM“) has stepped up its merger control activities on many fronts in recent weeks, issuing ground-breaking decisions in the Glencore/Xstrata and Marubeni/Gavilon cases and (...)

Recent Developments in Chinese Merger Control – MOFCOM Shifts up a Gear* The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM“) has stepped up its merger control activities on many fronts in recent weeks, issuing ground-breaking decisions in the Glencore/Xstrata and Marubeni/Gavilon cases and (...)

On October 30, 2009, China’s Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”) issued its decision in the Panasonic/Sanyo case, and published a summary of the decision on its website. The Panasonic/Sanyo transaction is the most recent of a series of cases where MOFCOM imposed conditions when issuing (...)