Announcement on Converting Pilot Delegation into Formal Delegation for Anti-Monopoly Review of Certain Concentrations of Business Operators
ISSUING AUTHORITY:
State Administration for Market Regulation
DATE OF ISSUANCE：
July 31, 2025
EFFECTIVE DATE：
August 1, 2025
On July 31, 2025, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) issued the Announcement of State Administration for Market Regulation on Converting Pilot Delegation into Formal Delegation for Anti-Monopoly Review of Certain Concentrations of Business Operators (“Announcement”), which became effective on August 1, 2025. The SAMR tried to delegate the review of certain concentrations of business operators to the market regulation authorities of Beijing Municipality, Shanghai Municipality, Guangdong Province, Chongqing Municipality and Shaanxi Province from August 1, 2022 to July 31, 2025. After assessment, the pilot work has achieved remarkable results and met the expected goals. To consolidate the achievements of the pilot work, in accordance with the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China, Provisions of the State Council on Reporting Standards for Concentrations of Business Operators, Provisions on Review of Concentrations of Business Operators, and other laws, administrative regulations and rules, it is decided that starting from August 1, 2025, the pilot delegation will be converted into a formal delegation. The specific contents are as follows:
1. The Entrusted Matters
The SAMR, based on its work requirements, may entrust some cases that are applicable to the simplified procedure for concentration of business operators (hereinafter referred to as "simplified cases") to the market regulation departments of provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government) such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing and Shaanxi (collectively referred to as the "receiving provincial-level market regulation departments") for review.
The receiving provincial-level market regulation departments and the relevant regions:
Serial Number | The Entrusted Entity | Relevant Zone |
1 | Beijing Municipal Market Supervision Bureau | Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang |
2 | Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Bureau | Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong |
3 | Guangdong Provincial Municipal Market Supervision Bureau | Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan |
4 | Chongqing Municipal Market Supervision Bureau | Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet |
5 | Shaanxi Provincial Market Supervision Bureau | Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang |
2. Commissioned Review Process
(1) Submission and Negotiation. The SAMR uniformly receives the filings of business concentration through the anti-monopoly business system for business concentration;
(2) Material Review and Acceptance. For cases that are subject to review by provincial market supervision departments, the SAMR will transfer the application materials to the designated provincial market supervision department for processing and promptly inform the applicant of the commission. The designated provincial market supervision department should promptly contact the applicant;
(3) Case Review. The provincial-level market supervision department entrusted with the task is responsible for reviewing the entrusted cases and submitting a review report to the SAMR, along with providing review opinions;
(4) Review Decision. The SAMR will make a review decision based on the review reports and opinions submitted by the provincial market supervision departments that have been entrusted. It will also regularly publicize the cases of unconditional approval of business combinations on its official website; and,
(5) Document Service. The provincial market supervision department entrusted to handle the matter is responsible for delivering the review decision letter and other review documents to the applicant. If the application is approved for withdrawal, the notice of withdrawal of the application, the return of the application, and the review decision letter will be stamped with the exclusive anti-monopoly seal of the SAMR. Other review documents will be stamped with the seal of the entrusted provincial market supervision department, and it will be noted in the documents that "entrusted by the SAMR ".
The SAMR will strengthen guidance to the entrusted provincial market supervision departments. The entrusted provincial market supervision departments will carry out the review work in accordance with the unified rules formulated by the SAMR.
3. Objection Handling
The SAMR uniformly handles objections raised by third parties during the public notice period for simplified cases of business concentration.
Reference:
《市场监管总局关于将试点委托转为正式委托开展部分经营者集中反垄断审查的公告》
