China Proposes Sweeping E-Commerce Overhaul to Protect Gig Workers, Counter Foreign Curbs

China unveiled a sweeping proposal to overhaul its e-commerce regulations, threatening tech platforms with hefty revenue-based fines while granting the country’s massive gig workforce a legal role in market governance and arming Beijing with new tools for retaliation against foreign entities.

Released on Saturday by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce, the draft revision modifies nearly a quarter of the seven-year-old E-Commerce Law. The proposal, open for public feedback until Aug. 4, adds 10 new articles and amends 12 to curb cutthroat competition, expand labor rights and protect Chinese companies expanding overseas.