On 27 June 2025, China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, adopted the “Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People’s Republic of China (2025 Revision)” (反不当竞争法(2025修订, hereinafter the “ Revision”), which came into force on 15 Oct. 2025.
This marks the second major revision of the law since its enactment in 1993, following its first revision in 2017. The updates aim to adapt to the developments of the digital economy and maintaining orderly market competition.
The Revision adds eight new provisions, bringing the total to 41 articles, with a focus on unfair practices in the online sector, such as data theft, malicious trading, and reverse fake transactions. For example, the Revision prohibits operators from fraudulently obtaining others’ data by bypassing technical protections and forbids abuse of platform rules for fake reviews, fake transactions, or malicious returns that harm other businesses and consumers.
Regarding platform responsibilities, the Revision requires platform operators not to force or coerce merchants to sell goods below cost, preventing predatory pricing that disrupts market stability.
In addition, the Revision for the first time introduces regulations against the “abuse of relative dominant position” by large enterprises. This allows authorities to penalize big firms that impose unreasonable payment terms or withhold payments to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) without the need to first prove a traditional market dominance.
Photo by Joshua Fernandez on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
