China’s top market regulator summons Alibaba, Meituan, JD.com over delivery price war
The meeting follows months of fierce competition, during which the companies offered a blizzard of food delivery discounts to win over users
The meeting aimed to “further regulate promotion behaviours, encourage rational competition, and foster a healthy ecosystem and win-win situation for consumers, merchants, delivery riders, and platform operators”, the regulator said in an announcement.
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
The SAMR said those companies must adhere to e-commerce, anti-unfair competition, and food safety laws, and must take on their responsibilities.
In a separate meeting on the same day, the regulator addressed food safety concerns related to live-streaming e-commerce. It said that some food items sold during recent live-streamed sessions contained excessive food additives or pesticide residues.
Representatives from various live-streaming platforms and influencer agencies attended that meeting, although the SAMR did not disclose any names.