BUSINESS

Beijing Summons Tech Giants to Curb Cutthroat Competition

Published: Mar. 24, 2026 12:55 p.m. GMT+8

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Chinese market regulators summoned 12 major platform companies, including travel site Trip.com Group Ltd. and e-commerce giant JD.com Inc., over hyper competitive behavior allegedly harming merchants and consumers.

On Monday, the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, along with the city’s commerce and tourism bureaus, held a meeting to address problems discovered during a recent crackdown. The platforms were ordered to rectify issues such as infringing on merchants’ business autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising.

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Beijing regulators summoned 12 major platforms, including JD.com and Trip.com, over anti-competitive practices like infringing merchant autonomy, unreasonable rules, and false advertising.
Platforms were ordered to address issues such as forced low pricing, unauthorized promotions, weak compliance, and misleading marketing.
The crackdown is part of a broader national campaign against "excessive competition," with warnings issued and legal action threatened for noncompliance.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

Trip.com Group Ltd.: Trip.com Group Ltd. was among 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators due to hyper-competitive practices. They were cited for infringing on merchants' business autonomy by using an automatic price adjustment tool and setting unreasonable rules, such as penalizing hotels for "customer poaching." Regulators also noted Trip.com's misleading advertising of "ticket-grabbing accelerator packs." The company has been instructed to rectify these issues.

JD.com Inc.: JD.com Inc. was among 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators due to hyper-competitive behavior. Regulators criticized JD.com, along with Qunar, for having weak or ineffective internal management mechanisms. The companies were ordered to rectify issues like infringing on merchants’ business autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising.

Kuaishou: Kuaishou is a short video platform that was summoned by Chinese market regulators in Beijing. Regulators addressed issues of hyper-competitive behavior allegedly harming merchants and consumers. Kuaishou, along with 11 other companies, was ordered to rectify problems such as infringing on merchants’ business autonomy and setting unreasonable rules. This action is part of a broader national campaign against "excessive competition."

ByteDance Ltd.: ByteDance Ltd. operates Douyin, a short video platform that was summoned by Chinese market regulators. The company, along with 11 other major platform companies, is facing scrutiny over hyper-competitive behavior. Regulators ordered the firms to rectify issues such as infringing on merchants’ business autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising.

Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd.: Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd. was among 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators in Beijing. They were criticized for engaging in hyper-competitive behavior, specifically for misleading advertising practices. Along with other third-party train ticket platforms, Tongcheng Travel was cited in January for repackaging the official railway system's free waitlist function as paid "ticket-grabbing accelerator packs."

Qunar.com Inc.: Qunar.com Inc. is an online travel agency that was summoned by Chinese market regulators due to "excessive competition" allegations. Specifically, regulators criticized Qunar for false advertising regarding "ticket-grabbing accelerator packs" and cited shortcomings in its corporate compliance systems, indicating weak or ineffective internal management mechanisms.

Fliggy: Fliggy, a Chinese online travel agency, was among the 12 major platform companies summoned by Beijing market regulators. They faced criticism for engaging in hyper-competitive behavior, including false advertising. Specifically, Fliggy was called out for misleadingly marketing "ticket-grabbing accelerator packs" as significantly increasing booking success rates, despite being repackaged versions of a free official railway service.

Amap: Amap, a mapping service, was among the 12 major platform companies summoned by Beijing market regulators. This meeting addressed issues discovered during a recent crackdown on "excessive competition." Amap, along with other companies, was ordered to rectify problems such as infringing on merchants’ business autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising.

Taobao Instant Commerce: Taobao Instant Commerce was among 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese regulators over hyper-competitive behavior. It was specifically cited for arbitrarily adding merchants to promotions and changing product prices, infringing on merchant autonomy.

Meituan: Meituan, a delivery platform, was among 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators due to hyper-competitive behavior. The Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation ordered Meituan to rectify issues such as infringing on merchants’ autonomy and setting unreasonable rules. This action is part of a broader national campaign to curb "excessive competition." Meituan was also warned by the State Administration for Market Regulation in February against all forms of "excessive competition."

Tujia: Tujia (Chinese: 途家) is identified as a lodging rental platform and was one of the 12 major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators. These entities faced scrutiny for issues such as infringing on merchants' autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising as part of a broader national campaign against "excessive competition."

Xiaozhu: Xiaozhu (小猪短租) is a lodging rental platform based in China. It was among the twelve major platform companies summoned by Chinese market regulators over hyper-competitive behavior and ordered to rectify issues such as infringing on merchants' business autonomy, setting unreasonable rules, and engaging in false advertising.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. was among seven platform companies summoned by China's top market watchdog in February. They were warned against "excessive competition," which involves unfair business tactics and a "race to the bottom" in pricing.

Tencent Holdings Ltd.: Tencent Holdings Ltd. was one of seven platform companies summoned in February by China's top market watchdog, the State Administration for Market Regulation. They were warned against engaging in "excessive competition." This is part of a broader national campaign to curb unfair business tactics and a "low-price race to the bottom."

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

July 2024：: The Politburo of the Communist Party called to prevent 'excessive competition.'

March 2025：: Premier Li Qiang vowed to tackle 'excessive competition' in the government work report.

January 2026：: Regulators previously called out several third-party train ticket platforms, including Qunar, Trip.com, Fliggy, and Tongcheng Travel, for false advertising.

February 2026：: The State Administration for Market Regulation summoned seven platform companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, and Meituan, and warned them against all forms of 'excessive competition.'

March 23, 2026：: Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, along with commerce and tourism bureaus, held a meeting with 12 major platform companies and issued demands for rectifying competitive behaviors.

AI generated, for reference only