China’s Antimonopoly Law Enforcement in the Digital Economy

Abstract

The year 2021 was the first remarkable year of Chinese anti-monopoly law enforcement in the digital economy. Against the macro backdrop of strengthening anti-monopoly and preventing the disorderly expansion of capital, China has closed high-profile cases and enacted relevant guiding documents, implying that competition in the digital economy is undergoing a revolution in China. However, with the strengthening anti-monopoly enforcement in the digital economy, China has also been confronted with new challenges. For example, how to make sure that the interconnectivity between platforms and data interoperability do not interfere with data security, personal privacy, and consumers’ legitimate rights and interests? How to balance the curbing of almost unconstrained digital ecosystems and the enhancement of economic efficiency? With the emergence of digital giants, profound changes are taking place in the competitive relationships between various market participants, while the advantages and disadvantages of capital growth have become increasingly prominent. We propose competition authorities worldwide to learn from and cooperate with each other to solve monopolistic problems in the digital economy, considering it is a global matter.