The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce have jointly drafted proposed amendments to the E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China and are now soliciting public input.
This initiative aims to thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council concerning the platform economy. The goal is to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of all parties involved in e-commerce, further standardize the conduct of e-commerce platform operators, and promote the sustained and healthy development of the sector.
The draft amendment document, consisting of twenty articles, primarily addresses five key areas. The first is to expand the scope of the law's application, clarifying the rights and obligations of various participants in the platform economy beyond just the platforms and operators on them.
The second focus is on improving the platform accountability system. It proposes enriching regulatory measures to support routine supervision, building upon existing tools like fixed-amount fines and orders to suspend business for rectification.
The third area involves establishing a coordinated regulatory mechanism. To address the cross-sector and hybrid nature of platform economy operations, the draft introduces the principle of consistent oversight for both online and offline business activities, enhancing integrated supervision through inter-departmental coordination and collaboration between central and local authorities.
The fourth key point is regulating prominent illegal activities in e-commerce. The amendments seek to modify and refine relevant clauses to address issues that have drawn strong public concern in practice, thereby effectively responding to societal demands.
The fifth aspect is deepening international cooperation in e-commerce. This includes promoting the alignment and compatibility of e-commerce rules, regulations, management, and standards with international norms, strengthening industry self-discipline, guiding orderly overseas expansion, adding countermeasures against external actions, and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.
Following the public consultation period, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Commerce will refine the draft amendments based on the feedback received. The next step is to advance the process to amend and enact the revised E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, aiming to solidify the legal foundation for innovation and healthy development in the platform economy.
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