The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China on Wednesday expressed its concern over the series of antitrust investigations, saying China was using strong-arm tactics and appeared to be unfairly targeting foreign firms.
The auto sector has been under particular scrutiny, and the NDRC, China’s state economic planner, has been investigating it amid accusations by state media that global car makers are overcharging consumers.
European car brands including Volkswagen AG’s Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are scrambling to lower prices for new cars and spare parts in an effort to appease Chinese regulators who have accused some of them of anti-competitive behavior.
Chinese authorities say the law is applied to both domestic and foreign firms, with the aim of protecting consumers. The NDRC has said it has targeted domestic telecoms companies, including China Unicom and China Telecom Corp, and domestic financial institutions for anti-trust practices.
U.S. companies aside from Qualcomm have also been caught up in the investigations, including software giant Microsoft Corp. Such probes have rekindled concerns that the Chinese government may be using the anti-monopoly law to support domestic firms at the expense of foreign companies. (Reuters)[eap_ad_3]
