China Expands Delegated Merger Reviews to Non-Simple Cases and Three New Regions

On August 1, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) implemented updated rules expanding its delegated merger control system for business concentrations. Building on a pilot scheme launched in August 2022 across five provincial-level regions—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing, and Shaanxi—SAMR will now delegate certain non-simple merger reviews to these five authorities. Additionally, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Sichuan have joined the pilot to handle simple merger cases. The expansion is supported by upgraded digital platforms, revised procedural handbooks, and staff training to maintain review consistency and accelerate approval timelines for corporate investments.

Expanding delegated merger control reviews to non-simple cases and additional provinces marks a significant decentralization step in China's antitrust administration. By broadening local review capabilities, the policy aims to streamline merger clearance workflows, reduce compliance burdens, and accelerate transaction processing for domestic and cross-border deals.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has officially expanded its delegated merger review framework, granting select provincial authorities broader authority to conduct anti-monopoly reviews of corporate business concentrations, according to a report published by People's Daily. Under the updated regulation implemented on August 1, SAMR is delegating review authority over certain non-simple merger cases to five provincial-level market regulation departments: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing, and Shaanxi. These five regional regulators previously handled only simple merger control cases under a pilot delegation program originally launched in August 2022. Concurrently, SAMR has added three new provincial regulators—Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Sichuan—to the delegation pilot, authorizing them to review simple merger filings. To support this jurisdictional expansion, SAMR has introduced technical, procedural, and training measures aimed at maintaining administrative consistency and efficiency across regional bureaus. The central regulator upgraded its dedicated anti-monopoly digital management system, deploying review modules for the three newly added provincial departments and integrating specialized non-simple case handling software for the original five pilot regions to ensure end-to-end online processing. SAMR also revised its operational handbooks for provincial antitrust reviewers to standardize review workflows and align internal regional procedures. According to official figures cited in the report, delegated regional regulators have maintained strong operational efficiency under the pilot: for simple cases, the average case acceptance time stood at 16.28 days and the average review completion time reached 17.52 days, successfully meeting the regulator's target of staying under 20 days for both metrics. To uphold review quality across expanding local jurisdictions, SAMR is boosting training for regional antitrust personnel through specialized workshops, regular dispatch meetings, on-the-job postings, and targeted instruction. The central authority affirmed that it will maintain continuous guidance and supervision over provincial regulators to safeguard fair market competition and support economic development.