Pakistan, China moving towards ‘competition cooperation framework’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China are moving towards practical implementation of their bilateral competition cooperation framework, with the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) exploring enhanced technical collaboration in cartel detection, merger control, digital markets and market intelligence. Implementation of the MoU on Anti-Monopoly Cooperation, signed between the two authorities in June 2024, was a key focus of a bilateral meeting between CCP Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar and SAMR Vice Minister Shu Wei in Xi’an, China. The meeting, held during Tarar’s participation in the 2026 National Fair Competition Conference of China, focused on moving the existing institutional framework towards sustained and practical cooperation. The two authorities explored collaboration in cartel detection, merger control, digital markets, market intelligence, economic analysis, competition advocacy, staff exchanges and institutional capacity building. The 2024 MoU was the first international MoU signed by the CCP in its 16-year history and established a framework for bilateral meetings, training programmes, workshops, research collaboration and information exchange. The latest engagement marks a shift from establishing the cooperation framework towards its practical implementation. Tarar expressed Pakistan’s interest in benefiting from China’s extensive competition-enforcement experience through technical training, expert exchanges, workshops and knowledge sharing. Digital markets are expected to be an important area of cooperation as competition authorities confront increasingly complex issues arising from artificial intelligence, algorithms, data-driven business models and digital platforms. The CCP is also strengthening its capabilities in market intelligence and data-driven enforcement to address emerging competition concerns. Cooperation between the regulators gained momentum following a visit to Pakistan by a high-level Chinese delegation led by then SAMR Vice Minister Dr Gan Lin in October 2023. Discussions covered market regulation, capacity building, cartel detection and collaborative research, leading to the signing of the MoU during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China in June 2024. The cooperation also assumes significance amid expanding Pakistan-China trade and investment ties, including CPEC. Tarar said deeper CCP-SAMR cooperation would strengthen both institutions’ ability to respond to increasingly interconnected and digital markets while contributing to a competitive and predictable environment for expanding Pakistan-China trade, investment and economic cooperation. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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