The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce have jointly drafted an amendment to the E-commerce Law, now open for public consultation, aiming to better safeguard the rights and interests of all parties involved in e-commerce and further regulate the conduct of platform operators.

The proposed amendments, comprising twenty articles, focus on five key areas to support the sustained and healthy development of the digital marketplace.

Firstly, the scope of the law will be expanded to clarify the rights and obligations of all participants in the platform economy, beyond just the platforms and their internal merchants.

Secondly, the platform accountability system will be strengthened. Beyond existing fixed fines and orders to suspend business, a richer set of regulatory tools will be introduced to underpin more consistent oversight.

Thirdly, a coordinated regulatory mechanism will be established. To address the cross-sector and hybrid nature of platform businesses, a principle of consistent management for online and offline operations will be added, enhancing integrated supervision through inter-departmental and central-local collaboration.

Fourthly, prominent illegal activities in e-commerce will be targeted. The amendments will refine relevant clauses to tackle issues that have drawn significant public concern in practice, providing concrete responses to societal demands.

Fifthly, openness and cooperation in e-commerce will be deepened. The revisions aim to align domestic rules, regulations, management, and standards with international norms, bolster industry self-discipline, guide orderly overseas expansion, and introduce countermeasures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

The next step involves finalizing the draft based on public feedback, with the goal of expediting the amendment process to establish a stronger legal foundation for innovation and healthy growth within the platform economy.