On September 20th, the State Council Information Office held a press conference for the "15th Five-Year Plan" series themed "A Strong Start". During the session, a reporter noted the recent actions by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) against "ghost kitchens" and major monopolistic abuse cases, which protected the rights of platform operators and consumers. The query was directed at what further measures would be adopted to foster both innovation and healthy development within the platform economy.
Zhu Jianqiao, Director of the Department of Online Transaction Supervision at SAMR, responded by highlighting the integral role of the platform economy in connecting various industries and households. To meet the goals of innovative and healthy growth, the administration will concentrate on three primary areas during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
Clarifying Responsibilities Through Legal Frameworks
The administration will accelerate revisions to the E-Commerce Law. This involves expanding penalty types to include proportional fines and temporary business suspensions, thereby reinforcing platforms' obligations concerning merchant admission audits, product information oversight, consumer safety, and the protection of merchants' autonomous operation rights. Furthermore, the law's scope will be adjusted to encompass new types of e-commerce operators, workers in novel employment forms, and related platform entities, transitioning the framework from a binary to a multi-subject model.
Enhancing Routine Supervision Capabilities
SAMR will persist with a strategy of promoting regulation and development through mutual reinforcement. Special campaigns will be launched for the governance of live-streaming commerce and the standardization of second-hand e-commerce platforms. These initiatives aim to rectify outstanding issues, investigate and penalize illegal activities, and expose typical cases to regulate the online market order. Building on the implementation of the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Rules on Online Trading Platforms" effective this February, the administration will expedite the creation of a "Negative List for Online Trading Platform Rules" to provide specific guidance on rule-making and execution, protecting the legitimate rights of all related parties.
Supporting Standardized and Healthy Growth
Guidance on compliance will be intensified with the development of a compliance evaluation guide for online trading platforms, helping companies enhance their management standards and fulfill their "gatekeeper" duties. Efforts will be made to accelerate the construction of a national online supervision platform, promote cross-level and cross-departmental data connectivity, and deepen government data verification services. This will support platforms in their qualification verification responsibilities and improve collaborative governance efficiency. Additionally, SAMR plans to establish high-standard demonstration zones for online market supervision and services, exploring new regulatory service models to invigorate the online market and foster integrated online-offline development.
The vitality of the platform economy stems from innovation, while its foundation lies in mutual benefit. Sustainable growth depends on the dynamism of merchants, the security of workers, and the trust of consumers. By ensuring platforms assume their responsibilities and that all stakeholders share in the developmental dividends, the platform economy can achieve long-term stability and progress.