China vows fairness in monopoly probes

Beijing says its anti-monopoly law does not discriminate between foreign and domestic firms as big-name overseas enterprises have come under a series of high-profile investigations.

The Ministry of Commerce issued a statement saying foreign firms such as Microsoft Corp and Mercedes-Benz had been probed, as had the mainland unit of a United States food supplier.

Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said anti-monopoly probes were meant to promote fair competition and protect consumer rights, adding such investigations were also common practice internationally.

"Looking back at the past six years after the anti-monopoly law took effect, both domestic and foreign firms have been probed according to the law," Xinhua quoted Shen as saying.

Foreign pharmaceutical companies including Britain's GlaxoSmithKline have also been the targets of wide-ranging investigations. Other businesses, such as Apple and Starbucks, meanwhile, have sometimes received unfavourable coverage in state media over issues regarding service and pricing.

Last week, the mainland vowed to punish German luxury brand Audi and Chrysler of the US for "monopoly behaviour". Two days earlier, anti-monopoly investigators raided a Shanghai office of Mercedes-Benz. 12 Japanese companies were under investigation for monopoly pricing of car components and bearings.