(Aug 23): China’s regulatory bodies have drafted new rules for internet platform pricing, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement on Saturday.
The regulations jointly rolled out by the NDRC, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Cyberspace Administration of China aim to establish a transparent and predictable pricing supervision mechanism, according to the statement.
The new rules cover behaviour, transparency, big data and collaboration between government bodies, industry associations and platform operators.
For big data, platform operators are not allowed to set different prices or charging standards for a product or service under the same transaction conditions, “based on information such as willingness to pay, ability to pay, consumption preferences, and consumption habits without the knowledge of consumers”, according to the release.
The regulators clarified that platform operators and sellers that use the service enjoy the right to independent pricing in accordance to the law. Charges levied by platform operators to retailers on the platform are also within the scope of the drafted regulation, the NDRC said.
China’s market regulator drafted a regulation on internet platforms in May, focusing on commission fees and other charges collected from platform merchants. Meituan’s share price slid after the announcement.
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