28th EU-China Competition Week
23 – 27 March 2026
T he 28th EU-China Competition Week will take place online from 23 to 27 March 2026. The discussions will focus on recent developments in EU State aid, including an overview of the application of State aid and competition law to Services of General Economic Interest, as well as an update on the PRC’s Fair Competition Review System including developments with the latest State Council Regulations and SAMR’s Implementing Measures. Officials and experts will also exchange views on the role and use of market studies and market investigation tools, the application of competition law to public utilities in the PRC, recent antitrust enforcement in digital markets, and the use of commitments and other soft enforcement tools in fast-moving markets. Finally, participants will discuss merger control developments, recent cases in the EU and China and the use of simplified procedures, as well as approaches to gun-jumping, acqui-hires and updates to merger guidelines in the EU and PRC.
The EU-China Competition Week is part of the EU-Asia Cooperation on Competition and Subsidies Control project, a 5-year EU-funded project offering technical cooperation to competition authorities in Asia. It provides a platform for exchanges on competition policy between the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition and the Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation, with contributions from Member State competition authorities and external experts. The objective is to share experiences and strengthen convergence in competition policy, to the benefit of citizens and businesses in both the EU and Asia
More information about the European Commission’ bilateral dialogue with China in the field of competition policy is available on the Commission’s website.
Schedule
（Brussels time)
Recent developments in EU State Aid, including Services of General Economic Interest, and the PRC’s Fair Competition Review System
07:00-07:30: Virtual room opens
07:30-07:50: Opening remarks
- Ms ZHAO Chunlei, Deputy DG of the Department of Competition Policy Coordination, SAMR
- Ms Maria Luisa TIERNO CENTELLA, Head of Unit for International Relations, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
07:50-10:30: Session: Updates on State aid and Services of General Economic Interest and Fair Competition Review System
Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Key Expert on Competition, EU-Asia cooperation on competition and subsidies control
Overview:
- Developments in EU State Aid in response to green and digital transitions and evolving economic and strategic challenges.
- How competition and State aid rules apply to undertakings entrusted with a defined public service (Services of General Economic Interest), including when and how limited derogations/compensation are permitted.
- Developments in the Fair Competition Review System: 2024 State Council Regulations (Order 783), in particular Article 9 in relation to subsidies, and 2025 SAMR Implementation Measure, including strengthening of ex-ante screening of draft policies for exclusionary/discriminatory provisions, backed by spot-check and reporting/complaints mechanisms.
Presentation by
- Ms Graça DA COSTA, EU State aid law and policy adviser
- Mr LI Gen, Official of Fair Competition Review, Division 1, Department of Competition Policy Coordination, SAMR
Discussion and Q&A session
The role and use of market studies and investigations, and the application of competition law to public undertakings in the PRC
07:00-07:30: Virtual room opens
07:30-10:30: Session: The role and use of market studies and market investigation tools; and the application of the AML to public utilities
Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Key Expert on Competition, EU-Asia cooperation on competition and subsidies control
Overview:
- Purposes and outcomes: role of market studies, including assessing how well competition is working in a market (even without identified wrongdoing) and identifying ways to improve competition, including through recommendations for policy or regulatory changes.
- Experiences with the use of market studies in practice: selecting market studies, frameworks, powers, risks and limitations / interaction with enforcement tools.
- Role and use of market investigations and their remedial powers in Europe.
- Perspective from SAMR on market studies and market investigations.
- How the AML applies in public utilities under the State Council Commission’s new Guidelines, including scope, types of infringement, application to administrative monopolies, and enforcement / compliance framework.
Presentations by
- Ms CHEN Qianting, Deputy Director of Abuse Enforcement Division 2, SAMR
- Ms ZENG Zhen, Official of Digital Economy Enforcement Division, Antimonopoly Department 1, SAMR
- Dr Luca ARNAUDO, Senior officer, Italian Competition Authority
Discussion and Q&A session
Competition enforcement in digital markets; Commitments and soft enforcement in fast moving digital markets
07:30-07:30: Virtual room opens
07:30-10:30: Session: Recent digital antitrust cases in France and the PRC and the use of commitment decisions in France and the “3 letters and 1 notice” system in the PRC
Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Key Expert on Competition, EU-Asia cooperation on competition and subsidies control
Overview
- Use of antitrust in recent cases to restore contestability and prevent digital markets from tipping.
- Example of how cases are selected and built in fast-moving markets – including defining theories of harm, evidence gathering and use of other tools, e.g. interim measures.
- Remedies: what works in practice.
- Experiences with commitment decisions: suitability of commitments, testing whether commitments are relevant, verifiable and proportionate, and what happens when firms do not comply.
- Experiences with the PRC’s “three letters one notice” system as a structured escalation from compliance engagement to formal enforcement where issues are not corrected.
Presentations by
- Mr Julien NETO, Head of Unit in the Investigative Services, French Competition Authority
- Mr Mathieu GUENNEC, Senior Case Handler, French Competition Authority
- Ms ZHANG Anting, official of Digital Economy Enforcement Division, Antimonopoly Department 1, SAMR
Discussion and Q&A session
Merger developments in the EU and the PRC (Part 1)
07:00-07:30: Virtual room opens
07:30-10:30: Session: Merger control update, experiences with gun jumping cases and acqui-hires
Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Key Expert on Competition, EU-Asia cooperation on competition and subsidies control
Overview
- Merger control “state of play” in the EU and PRC.
- SAMR’s experiences with the simplified procedure (including eligibility, role of the public notice/comment, typical timelines) and recent conditional cases (including design of conditions to address structural reliance issues).
- Experiences and practical lessons from gun-jumping cases in the EU and PRC – what counts as early implementation, assessment and procedural steps, penalties.
Presentation by
- Mr WANG Yanglin, Director of Concentration Supervision and Enforcement Division, SAMR
- Mr AN Yuanyang, Level II Principal Staff Member, Review Division I, Anti-Monopoly Department II, SAMR
- Ms Ana LAPIEDRA-CARMONA, Case handler, DG Competition, European Commission
Discussion and Q&A session
Merger developments in the EU and the PRC (Part 2)
07:00-07:30: Virtual room opens
07:30-10:00: Session: Updating merger guidelines – recent developments in the PRC
Moderator: Ms Hilary JENNINGS, Key Expert on Competition, EU-Asia cooperation on competition and subsidies control
Overview
- Experiences with SAMR’s recently issued Horizontal and Non-Horizontal Guidelines and how this is shaping merger assessments in practice.
- EU Merger Guidelines review: update on the review of the Commission’s Horizontal and Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines and key topics under consideration, including how to reflect innovation/dynamic competition, resilience/competitiveness, efficiencies and non-price parameters.
Presentation by
- Ms Ana LAPIEDRA-CARMONA, Case handler, DG Competition, European Commission
- Ms KONG Ru, Director of Concentration Review, Division2, SAMR
- Mr AN Yuanyang, Level II Principal Staff Member, Review Division I, Anti-Monopoly Department II, SAMR
Discussion and Q&A session
10:00-10:15: Closing remarks
- Ms Maria Luisa TIERNO CENTELLA, Head of Unit for International Relations, Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
- Ms ZHAO Chunlei, Deputy DG of Department of Competition Policy Coordination, SAMR
