China Releases 10 Model Cases on Fair Competition Review Implementation

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released ten model cases highlighting the implementation of the Fair Competition Review Regulations over the past two years. The showcased practices range from Zhejiang's artificial-intelligence-driven policy reviews and the Yangtze River Delta's cross-provincial coordination mechanism to Beijing's multi-tiered supervision system. According to SAMR, regulators plan to deepen source-level policy vetting, enhance supervision, and build grassroots enforcement capabilities in the second half of the year to support China's unified national market initiative.

The fair competition review system is Beijing's primary administrative mechanism to eliminate local protectionism, market fragmentation, and regional trade barriers. By publicizing benchmark provincial practices, SAMR sets clear standards for local governments to prevent discriminatory rules, preferential subsidies, and administrative monopolies that hinder fair market access across regions.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has released ten representative model cases demonstrating the implementation of the fair competition review system, state media reported. The release marks two years of progress under the Fair Competition Review Regulations as authorities intensify efforts to build a unified national market. The featured cases highlight distinct approaches developed by provincial market supervision bureaus to prevent government policies from distorting market competition. In Zhejiang, regulators focused on systemic restructuring and digital empowerment to establish an artificial-intelligence-assisted review system. In the Yangtze River Delta, authorities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui established a joint coordination mechanism to align fair competition reviews across provincial boundaries. Other highlighted cases include Beijing's multi-tiered spot-check supervision system, Heilongjiang's framework establishing six core regulatory mechanisms, and Sichuan's creation of specialized professional personnel posts dedicated to fair competition vetting. According to Zhao Chunlei, deputy director of SAMR's Competition Coordination Department, market regulators will focus on three key priorities in the second half of the year. First, SAMR will guide local authorities to enforce strict review standards to filter out anti-competitive policies at their source. Second, the agency will strengthen supervision and enforcement mechanisms to ensure review rules are executed consistently. Third, regulators will accelerate training programs to upgrade grassroots vetting capabilities and guarantee review quality. The fair competition review framework requires administrative agencies at all levels to assess prospective economic policies, procurement guidelines, and regulatory measures for potential market distortions prior to formal enactment, aiming to eliminate regional protectionism and unfair preferential policies.