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China to expand provincial merger reviews, include non-simplified cases

( March 20, 2026, 03:38 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation will expand its system of entrusting merger reviews to provincial-level regulators, allowing certain non-simplified cases to be handled at the local level and adding three more authorities to review simplified cases, according to a statement released Friday. Under the updated rules, effective Aug. 1, SAMR may entrust non-simplified deals meeting certain market share ranges to five provincial-level market regulators in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Chongqing and Shaanxi. It will also expand the pool of local authorities handling simplified cases to include Liaoning, Zhejiang and Sichuan, and adjusted regional allocations. Entrusted authorities must transfer cases back to SAMR in specified circumstances. The changes further refine rules introduced last August, when SAMR formally moved from a pilot to an official entrustment system for fast-track merger reviews.Statement follows (in Chinese)....

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