The Chinese Competition Authority’s local office approves a landmark joint venture transaction to herald the implementation of the pilot merger control devolution which empowers the Authority’s local offices to conduct merger review for simple cases (FAW / Refire)

Yesterday, on 29 August 2022, clearance for the FAW/Refire joint venture transaction was announced on one of the websites of the Chinese antitrust authority – i.e., the State Administration for Market Regulation. That transaction marks the first case where Chinese merger review was handled by a local SAMR office. The foundations to this delegation of merger review powers were established on 15 July 2022, when the State Administration for Market Regulation (“SAMR”) announced a pilot program to delegate the power to conduct merger review for simple cases to five of its local offices – the Administrations for Market Regulation in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing, and Shaanxi (“local AMRs”). On 8 August 2022, a central SAMR website started to include links directing to five local