Five years of implementation of China's Anti-Monopoly Law—achievements and challenges

Abstract

China’s Anti-Monopoly Law came into effect five years ago—on 1 August 2008—and as such is one of the youngest antitrust laws in the world. This article explores the achievements of the competition regime over the past years, and the challenges lying ahead. The Anti-Monopoly Law has been enforced by a number of agencies—namely, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the courts through some influential cases, such as a few conditionally cleared merger decisions and the investigation against China Telecom and China Unicom. Without underestimating these successes, these cases also reveal the considerable challenges faced by the new regime.