Crossing the Rubicon? The implications of RCEP on anti‐monopoly enforcement on dominant E‐commerce platforms in China

Abstract

The rapid development of e-commerce has markedly influenced the daily lives of the Chinese people over the last two decades. The rise of dominant e-commerce platforms and accompanying alleged abusive practices may impair competition and cause harm to online consumers. Although China's Anti-Monopoly Law and E-commerce Law provide a legal basis to deal with these practices, Chinese competition regulators rarely undertake investigations into these platforms. The inability of the law to keep pace with digital advancements is compounded by outdated rationales and traditional practices. China's problems relate to e-commerce competition and its regulation, such as the old-fashioned anti-monopoly rationale and some abusive practices conducted by dominant platforms. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), concluded in late 2020, provides specific provisions regarding e-commerce and competition, requiring its 15-member states to promote a competitive and integrated e-commerce market in the region. This article critically examines the potential implications the RCEP may have on China's anti-monopoly enforcement of dominant e-commerce platforms and argues that, despite China's recent efforts to regulate e-commerce competition, these developments are still insufficient to fulfil the requirements of the RCEP.