On January 7 2026, China published new regulations banning the country’s major e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba from forcing merchants to apply promotions. These measures, which will come into effect in February 2026, aim to curb practices deemed abusive, particularly in food delivery. They follow official warnings and summons from the Chinese competition authority sent on July 18 2025 to Alibaba, JD.com and Meituan regarding pressurising merchants and restaurateurs with imposed discounts.
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