On Sept. 4 the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced a
second batch of seven enforcement cases targeting obstacles to fair market entry
across China’s healthcare, energy, funeral services, waste collection and
internet-access sectors. SAMR said violations fell into three types:
discriminatory entry requirements creating regional barriers; limits on
counterparties or exclusive cooperation agreements that produce de facto
exclusive operators; and failure to implement policy adjustments or delayed
approvals that hinder market entry. The regulator said it will intensify the
campaign, prioritize business-reported pain points, step up case enforcement to
break local protectionism and administrative monopolies, and restore a more
unified, competitive market to expand access for investors and operators.
