中国ＩＴ大手２０社超、独禁法順守を約束　アリババの罰金を「教訓」に

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】中国ＩＴ大手２０社以上は１５日までに、独占禁止法の順守を約束した。規制当局はこれに先立ち、同法違反で過去最高額の罰金を科された電子商取引（ＥＣ）大手アリババ（阿里巴巴）の例を「教訓」にするよう各社に指導していた。（写真は資料写真）
　中国政府は、国民の日々の経済活動に対する民間企業の影響力を抑制する取り組みを、ＩＴ大手に要請。これについて識者らは、ＩＴ大手の際限のない拡大に歯止めをかける狙いもあると指摘する。
　市場規制当局は１３日、ＩＴ企業３４社を集め、反競争的行為を「是正」するよう警告。アリババに１０日、独禁法違反で約３０００億円の罰金が科されたことに言及し、これを「教訓」にするよう求めた。
　当局が１４、１５日に相次いで公表した文書によると、動画投稿アプリ「ティックトック」の親会社バイトダンス（字節跳動）やインターネット検索エンジン百度、オンライン旅行サービス「シートリップ（携程）」などの大手企業が、公正な競争を確保することに加え、市場優位性の乱用や不正価格での取引を自粛することを約束した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/16-12:39）

More than 20 Chinese tech giants have made a public pact to abide by anti-monopoly guidelines, after regulators told them to note the warning of a record fine against e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Beijing is taking China's tech firms to task to curtail the reach of private companies into the daily finances of the Chinese public -- and, analysts say, to rein in their runaway expansion.
In a series of individual statements published by China's market regulator on Wednesday and Thursday, some of the country's biggest brands -- including ByteDance, Baidu and CTrip -- promised to ensure fair competition, not abuse market dominance, and not implement unfair price behaviour.
The oaths come after regulators summoned 34 tech companies on Tuesday and warned them to rectify any anti-competitive measures and heed the warning of Alibaba's case.
The firms were given one month to undergo complete rectification after conducting internal checks, and to correct practices that harmed competition.
Ride-hailing service Didi, video platforms Kuaishou and Bilibili, as well as e-commerce firm JD.com are also among those who have since published commitments.
JD.com said it would not force the practice of choosing one of two on its retailers -- where merchants are compelled to work only with one platform and not its rivals -- a move which Alibaba had come under fire for.
Meanwhile, in its statement, Didi pledged: Except where necessary for regular business activities, we will not illegally collect or misuse personal information.
The next front in Beijing's assault on big tech could be the huge volumes of data they scoop up from China's consumers.
On Saturday, regulators hit Alibaba with a $2.78 billion penalty, after a months-long investigation found it had been abusing its dominant market position.
Alibaba and JD.com, along with messaging and gaming giant Tencent, have become hugely profitable on the back of growing Chinese digital lifestyles and government restrictions on major US competitors in the domestic market.
But as the platforms amassed hundreds of millions of regular users, concern has risen over their influence in China, where they are used for a huge array of daily tasks.