China probes largest on-line journey company Trip.com over suspected monopoly

Trip.com is suspected of abusing its dominant market place, the State Administration for Market Regulation mentioned in its assertion, with out elaborating on the allegations. The investigation relies on preliminary critiques and the anti-monopoly legislation, it mentioned.

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Under China’s anti-monopoly legislation, firms can face fines of between 1% and 10% of their annual gross sales from the earlier yr if discovered to have breached its provisions.

Trip.com mentioned in a press release that it was “actively” co-operating with the investigation and would “fully implement regulatory requirements”.

In December, an trade affiliation for homestays in southwestern China’s Yunnan province mentioned it had obtained a number of complaints from member companies that some on-line journey companies, similar to Trip.com, abused their dominant market positions to hold out unfair practices.

The practices embrace coercive clauses, arbitrary fee hikes and blocking web site visitors, the affiliation’s assertion mentioned. The affiliation had began an anti-monopoly marketing campaign, it added.

Chinese authorities have previously focused a number of massive tech firms to curb what they see as unfair competitors that distorts the market atmosphere.

($1 = 6.9722 Chinese yuan renminbi)

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