China to Strengthen Antitrust Regulator, Report Says

China is looking into boosting its antitrust bureau's status within the market regulatory agency to further fight monopolies, Reuters reported. President Xi Jinping has encouraged the action to improve the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), which was once low-profile, according to the report. That division made headlines this year as it worked to root out and punish anti-competitive behavior in the online "platform" agency. The measure would see the antitrust bureau becoming the National Anti-Monopoly Bureau, which would be elevated to deputy-ministerial status, the report stated, citing unnamed sources. The antitrust bureau would remain within SAMR. The new ranking…