China issues new rules to regulate internet platform pricing

China's cyberspace authority said on Saturday it would introduce new regulations to regulate pricing on internet platforms effective from April 10.

The rules, among other things, reiterate that platform owners must not use means like higher fees or search ranking blacklisting to force businesses on the platform to lower prices.

Authorities in China typically take a sustained and firm-handed approach toward practices they deem unfavourable to healthy and rational market development.

However, so far, China's largest e-commerce platforms show no signs of halting an "instant retail" price war. While consumers may enjoy the low prices, merchants complain on social media that ongoing price wars all but eliminate profit margins and restaurateurs bemoan a fall in profitable in-person custom.

-Lewis Jackson and Ella Cao