China's market regulator launches campaign to protect fair competition

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on Wednesday announced a nationwide campaign aimed at tackling obstacles to building a unified national market and fostering fair competition.

Running from May to December, the campaign will focus on problems that impede fair market access and independent business operations, as well as those that restrict the free flow of goods, SAMR official Wang Shizhong said.

To address these problems, the SAMR will step up law enforcement, inspections and spot checks, and strictly curb improper interference in market competition, Wang said.

Efforts will also be made to abolish or streamline local standards, he said, adding that by the end of 2026, the SAMR will have basically eliminated potential market segmentation and local protectionism resulting from such standards.

Given the long-standing and complex nature of local protectionism and administrative monopolies, this year's campaign will be stepped up on the basis of previous efforts, he added.

Maintaining fair market competition is a key task highlighted in the outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). The outline calls for improving market regulations, unifying standards and enhancing regulatory capabilities to foster a market order characterized by high quality, fair pricing and healthy competition. ■