China’s NDRC Issues New Rules and Announces A New Price Cartel Investigation under the AML

On January 4, 2011, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”) published two new sets of rules under the Chinese Anti-Monopoly Law and announced the imposition of the maximum fine on a trade association that organized a price cartel in paper manufacturing. The announcement of the new rules and the enforcement action on the same day may indicate that NDRC is going to step up its enforcement efforts. This Memorandum summarizes NDRC’s new rules and the agency’s recent investigation into the price cartel organized by a paper manufacturing association.