China warns platforms on monopolistic tactics such as ‘lowest-price’ requirement

China’s market regulator has warned that internet platforms demanding merchants offer the “lowest price across the internet” may face antitrust action, as Beijing steps up efforts to curb malpractice. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) explained some details of its draft – Antitrust Compliance Guidelines for Internet Platforms – at a press conference on Wednesday, according to Xinhua. The “lowest-price” requirement, where platforms bar merchants from selling cheaper elsewhere, is one of eight potential violations identified in the draft, according to Liu Jian, deputy director of antitrust enforcement at the administration. “How to scientifically set boundaries for their conduct…