The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is the authority responsible for price-related violations of the Chinese Anti-Monopoly Law, recently announced action on two price cartel cases - investigation of a price cartel among rice noodle producers in Nanning and Liuzhou (two cities in Guangxi province) and investigation of a price cartel organized by the local industry association among tableware disinfection product producers in Xiamen (a city in Fujian province).
These cases are the first enforcement actions against price cartels publicized by NDRC and/or its agencies since the AML came into force on August 1, 2008. While both were straightforward cases of price-fixing, the authorities’ handling of these cases raises interesting questions about the relations between the AML and other Chinese laws.
