China: Administrative penalty issued to Alibaba for abuse of dominance in e-commerce retail services market

On 10 April 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced that Alibaba was charged with a fine of 18.23 billion yuan for violation of anti-monopoly laws. The e-commerce retail services provider was charged for forcing merchants to use their platform through exclusive cooperation contracts. SAMR furthermore also published an administrative guidance, which obliges Alibaba to carry out supervision of its own business and protect the rights of consumers and merchants alike.