Multiple Illegal Cases Filed and Investigated! State Administration for Market Regulation Reports Progress on Handling Issues Exposed in "3·15" Gala

On March 20th, the State Administration for Market Regulation held a routine press conference for the first quarter of 2026, releasing the latest signals on policy implementation and regulatory enforcement in the fields of anti-monopoly and fair competition.

On the policy front, the 2026 version of the two registration standards for business entities will be implemented on May 1st; multiple new regulations in areas such as anti-monopoly, fair competition, trade secret protection, and automotive pricing compliance will be launched intensively in the first quarter. Simultaneously, the system for entrusted review of business concentration will be optimized to cover all case types, with an expanded review team, continuously improving the制度体系, and enhancing service and review efficiency.

On the regulatory side, the State Administration for Market Regulation has strictly and swiftly investigated multiple violations exposed during the “3.15” evening gala in 2026, completing actions such as sealing, case filing, and account closures, while also conducting interviews and supervision. Future efforts will focus on special rectification of advertising chaos, the “Four Fakes” in jewelry and jade, food safety issues in live streaming sales, and chaos in alcohol products, to maintain market order and protect consumers’ legal rights through precise and strict regulation.

New regulations in anti-monopoly and fair competition are being implemented intensively in the first quarter

Further measures to optimize the business environment. Wang Qiuping, spokesperson and Director of the News and Publicity Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation, introduced that recently, the administration officially released the “Regulations on Business Entity Registration Documents (2026 Edition)” and “Regulations on Business Entity Registration Submission Materials (2026 Edition).” The new standards will be fully implemented from May 1st, enhancing registration services through precise information collection, risk prevention of false impersonation, and the application of electronic signatures.

The fair competition system continues to improve, becoming an important support for high-quality development. In the first quarter, the administration issued multiple new regulations, including the revised “Regulations on Prohibiting Abuse of Administrative Power to Exclude or Restrict Competition,” targeting administrative monopoly; the “Guidelines on Anti-Monopoly in the Public Utility Sector” and the “Guidelines on Fair Competition for Internet Platforms,” focusing on key areas to guide normative development; and the “Regulations on Trade Secret Protection,” strengthening the protection of corporate trade secrets and cracking down on unfair competition behaviors involving trade secrets. Additionally, the “Guidelines on Automotive Industry Pricing Behavior” were released to stabilize market expectations and regulate pricing order in the automotive market.

The same day, the “Announcement on Further Improving the Entrusted Review System for Business Concentration” was issued, marking an important step in deepening anti-monopoly review reform. “Improving the entrusted review system for business concentration is another reform measure based on the pilot transition from entrusted to formal review on August 1, 2025,” Wang Qiuping explained. “This reform achieves full coverage of case types, adding some non-simple cases to the entrusted review, and further expanding the review team by adding three more provincial-level market regulation departments to handle simple cases, better serving regional coordinated development strategies.”

Data shows that by the end of 2025, the administration had entrusted five provincial-level departments to review 1,550 cases of business concentration, accounting for 56% of the total filings received during the same period, with a total transaction amount of about 4.26 trillion yuan.

System innovation in the digital era is advancing simultaneously, and new regulations for trade secret protection are being implemented. “The issuance of the ‘Regulations on Trade Secret Protection’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Regulations’) is an important step in establishing a trade secret protection system, and also a key part of promoting legal implementation,” Wang Qiuping said. “The Regulations detail relevant provisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, providing clear ‘roadmaps’ and ‘manuals’ for market operators and regulators; they also align with international rules to support high-level opening-up. The Regulations explicitly include ‘data’ and ‘algorithms’ within the scope of protected technical information, responding to new needs in the digital age, and establish a systematic administrative enforcement and supervision system to comprehensively improve the governance of trade secret protection.”

“Strict and swift investigation of issues exposed during the ‘3.15’ gala”

“Market regulation work relates to development vitality and the well-being of people’s livelihoods,” Wang Qiuping emphasized during the conference. She reported on the deployment of multiple special rectification actions and the progress of handling issues exposed during the “3.15” gala, aiming to protect consumers’ safety and rights through targeted regulation and strict law enforcement.

In response to chaos in the livelihood sector, targeted actions have been launched. In the first quarter, the administration deployed several initiatives: a half-year campaign to clean up misleading advertising language; joint law enforcement actions to combat fake certificates, fake organizations, fake products, and fake websites in jewelry, jade, and precious metals; a series of online food safety compliance and quality improvement actions for live streaming sales of food and health products, along with comprehensive governance of prominent issues in alcohol products.

“Cyber space is not outside the law. For issues like ‘fake certificates’ and ‘fake products’ on e-commerce platforms and live streaming rooms, this campaign will take strong measures and deploy powerful tools, bringing operators, streamers, and hosts into key regulatory focus,” Wang Qiuping said. “Regulators will guide and supervise online trading platforms to build early warning and monitoring models, strengthen intelligent identification, and severely crack down on illegal activities such as false marketing, forged test reports, and fake websites providing false certificates.”

Regarding consumer concerns about fake inspection reports, Wang Qiuping provided clear solutions: first, verify identity by checking the qualification of testing agencies on the official website; second, verify information by comparing report details with actual products; third, confirm authenticity through official channels; and fourth, act early by reporting fake reports immediately via the 12315 platform. She especially reminded consumers, “Inspection reports are not ‘magic cards’; rational consumption is the ‘amulet.’ Pay attention to reputation and credibility, and don’t be fooled by a single report or make impulsive purchases.”

Regarding the latest enforcement progress on violations exposed during the 2026 “3.15” gala, the conference reported that the administration has quickly deployed strict and swift investigations, conducting interviews and supervision with relevant local governments and market regulation departments.

Currently, in response to issues like “bleached chicken claws,” 27 buckets of hydrogen peroxide and 551 boxes of chicken claw products have been seized; for “the ‘all-purpose’ exosomes,” four involved companies, three medical aesthetic institutions, and medical institutions have been filed for investigation; for “height-increasing marketing tricks,” 11 business entities have been investigated; and for other issues exposed, such as “rampant rental e-bikes,” on-site inspections, evidence collection, and account closures have been completed. “We will continue to work with relevant departments to thoroughly investigate and pursue violations. Our stance is: no leniency until the problem is fully clarified, no tolerance for incomplete rectification. The market regulation authorities will respond with concrete actions to address social concerns and strengthen consumer safety,” Wang Qiuping concluded.