In a move to thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council regarding the platform economy, better safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all parties in e-commerce, further standardize the conduct of e-commerce platform operators, and promote the sustained and healthy development of e-commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce have recently drafted the "Amended Draft of the E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)" and are now seeking public input.

The draft amendment comprises twenty articles, with its main content covering five key areas. First, it expands the scope of legal regulation, clarifying the rights and obligations of other participants in the platform economy beyond the current focus on platforms and operators within them. Second, it improves the platform accountability system, enriching regulatory tools beyond the existing fixed fines and orders for rectification to support more consistent oversight. Third, it defines a collaborative regulatory mechanism, addressing the cross-sector and mixed operations of the platform economy by adding the principle of consistent management for online and offline activities, thereby strengthening integrated supervision through inter-departmental coordination and central-local collaboration.

Fourth, the draft aims to regulate prominent illegal activities in e-commerce, focusing on issues that have drawn significant public concern in practice and revising relevant provisions to effectively address societal demands. Fifth, it seeks to deepen international cooperation in e-commerce, promoting alignment between domestic and international rules, regulations, management, and standards, enhancing industry self-regulation, guiding orderly expansion overseas, adding countermeasures against external actions, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

Moving forward, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce will refine the draft amendments based on the feedback received during the public consultation period and work to expedite the revision and enactment of the E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, thereby solidifying the legal foundation for innovation and healthy growth in the platform economy.