Trip.com marks China's first antitrust penalty against destructive rivalry
By MLex Staff ( August 3, 2026, 10:03 GMT | Comment) -- China's first platform most-favored-nation penalty is about more than just pricing clauses. The Trip.com case illustrates how Beijing is integrating antitrust enforcement into its broader campaign against "involution-style" competition, using competition law to reshape platform governance and market conduct under the 15th Five-Year Plan.China's first antitrust penalty against a platform-wide lowest-price obligation shows how Beijing is putting teeth into its campaign against what regulators call destructive competition among digital platforms. The decision against Trip.com comes as authorities translate the 15th Five-Year Plan's economic priorities into enforcement action....
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