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### Viewing cable 06BEIJING11706,

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06BEIJING11706 | 2006-06-09 08:26 | 2011-08-23 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Beijing

`

    VZCZCXRO9795
    RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
    DE RUEHBJ #1706/01 1600826
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 090826Z JUN 06
    FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8237
    INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
    RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
    RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3816
    RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
    RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 8765
    RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
    RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1353

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 011706

    SIPDIS

    SENSITIVE
    SIPDIS

    DEPT FOR EB/TPP/MST/IPC, EAP/CM AND EUR/ERA
    DEPT PASS TO FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION FOR BLUMENTHAL
    DEPT PASS TO USTR FOR STRATFORD, WINTER, ESPINELL, MCCOY
    USDOJ FOR ANTITRUST DIVISION FOR DAAG MASOUDI
    PARIS PASS USOECD
    MANILA PASS USADB ED

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV KIPR PGOV CH
    SUBJ: CHINA ANTI-MONOPOLY LAW ALMOST READY FOR LEGISLATIVE
    REVIEW

    Ref: (A) Beijing 6692, (B) Beijing 6685, (C) Beijing 6822

    BEIJING 00011706  001.2 OF 004

    ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On May 19-21 in Hangzhou, the Chinese
    Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Asian Development Bank (ADB)
    and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
    (OECD) jointly hosted an international seminar to discuss
    China's draft Anti-Monopoly Law (AML).  The seminar had been
    billed as an opportunity for foreign experts to provide
    comments to the State Council's (cabinet) interagency
    drafting committee on the latest draft before the bill
    advances to the National People's Congress (NPC) for final
    legislative review.  However, just one day before the
    conference, MOFCOM changed the discussion topics to focus on
    implementation issues.  MOFCOM was the only Chinese agency
    represented at the seminar and explained that the drafting
    team could not come because it was busy with final
    preparations to deliver the draft AML to the NPC in June.
    It appears that philosophical debates on how to deal with
    administrative monopolies and on how to treat intellectual
    property (IP) will likely continue during the NPC's minimum
    six-month review.  MOFCOM hinted strongly that enforcement
    powers for the AML would be decentralized among a few
    ministries and sector regulators, and predicted that the NPC
    will not likely change this.  The AML draft is vague in the
    area of IP rights and it appears that Chinese elements that
    have pushed hard to use competition law to limit the rights
    of IPR owners have continued to influence the Chinese
    Government.  End Summary.

    Last Minute Agenda Switch
    -------------------------

    ¶2. (SBU) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) General Counsel
    William Blumenthal and Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust
    Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gerald Masoudi
    participated in a May 19-21 Seminar on China's Draft Anti-
    Monopoly Law (AML).  The seminar was jointly hosted by
    MOFCOM, ADB and OECD.  Representatives from competition
    authorities from the EU, Germany and one U.S. private sector
    law firm also participated.  MOFCOM and ADB invited the
    State Council Legislative Affairs Office (SCLAO), NPC staff
    and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC)
    to join the seminar as they did in an international seminar
    SCLAO hosted in 2005 to discuss the AML.  However, none of
    the other agencies attended the conference in Hangzhou.
    MOFCOM staff explained that the SCLAO was busy finishing
    final preparations to submit the draft law to the NPC in
    June, and therefore had no time to join the seminar.  MOFCOM
    also changed the agenda just a day before the conference,
    replacing specific discussion on the draft text with
    specific implementation questions.

    ¶3. (SBU) MOFCOM Anti-Monopoly Office Director Wang Changbin
    opened the seminar with a briefing on developments in the
    draft AML since the July 2005 version, the most recent
    officially released text.  He reported that the right of a
    victim to initiate a complaint case had been struck from the
    July 2005 version, but now has returned to the final draft.
    On exemptions for monopoly agreements, he said that the
    drafters are now considering eliminating language that
    provides for exemptions only after reporting to the Anti-
    Monopoly Enforcement Authority.  The reason for such a move
    is that the drafters now recognize the insurmountable burden
    such a reporting requirement would create for the Anti-
    Monopoly Authority.  He also pointed out that though the
    specific provisions (formerly Chapter 5) against
    administrative monopolies had been eliminated from the
    draft, heavy deate on the topic will likely continue
    through the NPC review.  Wang explained that one side
    believes that the AML needs to address government behaviors
    that reduce competition, while the opposing side argues that
    such provisions have implications for structural reform and
    should be dealt with in other laws or policies.

    ¶4. (U) The foreign experts all had prepared to make points
    keyed to major concerns over the draft text, and still made
    those points at the beginning of the seminar.  Generally,

    BEIJING 00011706  002.2 OF 004

    their major points conformed as follows:

    -- protect the competitive process, not the competitor,
    -- government restraints on competition are the most durable
    and onerous of abuses and must be eliminated,
    -- political and social concerns should not be part of the
    competition law,
    -- clear and consistent rules and application are important
    for providing certainty to business,
    -- adopt international norms and practices, like those of
    the International Competition Network (ICN),
    -- possession of intellectual property (IP) does not equal
    dominance or monopoly, and
    -- legitimate exercise of IP rights does not by itself
    violate competition principles.

    AML Enforcement: Lots of Hands in the Kitchen
    ---------------------------------------------

    ¶5. (SBU) MOFCOM Director General of Treaty and Law Shang
    Ming implied that the structure of the AML Authority has
    been decided and would fit within the "current government
    structure in China."  Merger control would go to MOFCOM,
    abuse of dominance and cartels would fall under "another
    agency," and sector regulators would handle sector specific
    competition issues.  Shang said the Anti-Monopoly Commission
    of the State Council, first described in one of the interim
    drafts after July 2005, would consist of representatives
    from a multitude of agencies.  He said the commission would
    take one of three possible forms: 1) just a forum to discuss
    issues; 2) a commission that could make formal
    recommendations to the relevant competition agency; or 3) a
    commission that has the power to order ministries and
    regulators to take specific corrective measures.  Shang
    noted that the third possibility is not likely.  Instead, he
    predicts that China will adopt an ineffective implementation
    system and learn over time that it must change, and then
    create a more efficient system.  All foreign experts
    expressed the same opinion that a single, independent
    competition authority that could rule on all competition
    matters is the best approach.  They pointed out that the
    decentralized system Shang described required clear
    delineation of jurisdictions between different competition
    authorities within China and consistent application of
    general competition principles across industries.

    Proper Nexus with China for Pre-Merger Notification
    --------------------------------------------- ------

    ¶6. (SBU) Foreign experts and MOFCOM discussed numerous
    examples and hypothetical cases to clarify pre-merger
    notification principles.  Foreign experts presented the
    rationale behind international standards of merger
    notification.  They emphasized the importance of objective
    standards that reduce burden on companies, thereby
    increasing compliance.  In light of limited resources and
    the inexperience of China's future AML authority, OECD's
    Bernard Phillips suggested that the merger review process
    allow for follow-up of the initial report submission so that
    reporting requirements could be basic.  FTC Blumenthal
    recommended adoption of the well-developed recommendations
    of the International Competition Network (ICN).  In response
    to MOFCOM questions, the foreign experts discussed specific
    situations concerning venture capital companies, exemptions
    for "normal course of business," financial investments that
    result in a change of control and passive investors.

    ¶7. (SBU) Noting that the current draft law requires pre-
    merger notification based on the assets or sales of the
    acquiring party, DOJ Masoudi warned that such provisions
    would capture too many transactions that have no nexus with
    China.  He recommended that China instead revise the draft
    to focus on the assets and sales of the target company.  He
    also recommended that China establish a sales or asset
    threshold, under which no reporting is required.  He
    explained that the U.S. threshold is USD 56 million because
    no cases of antitrust concern have been found below that

    BEIJING 00011706  003.2 OF 004

    level.  In a follow-up side conversation with a MOFCOM
    official, DOJ Masoudi drew a decision tree diagram to
    illustrate the requirements and process of the U.S. pre-
    merger notification system.  (Note: On June 5, the same
    MOFCOM official called ECONoff asking for clarification of
    the U.S. threshold and rationale in order to convince the
    State Council drafters, who had been pushing for an
    immediate explanation, to change the pre-merger provisions
    in the draft law.  End Note.)

    Does IP = Monopoly?
    -------------------

    ¶8. (SBU) DG Shang inquired about how to handle companies who
    use intellectual property rights (IPR) in violation of
    competition principles.  He said that IPR is a top concern
    in the AML.  He referred to the WTO Trade Related
    Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement's mention of
    three categories of abuses of intellectual property.  He
    asked whether or not intellectual property automatically
    conferred dominant position or monopoly power. He cited, as
    an example, foreign patents to illustrate his general point.
    Specifically, he said that DVD patent holders (all foreign)
    initially charged a low fee for its license, but a few years
    afterwards raised the license fee twenty times.  He called
    this an "obvious abuse" of dominant position based on DVD
    intellectual property, and noted that the he often received
    complaints from Chinese companies regarding patent licensing
    abuse of this type.

    ¶9. (SBU) His comments ignited a series of vehement arguments
    from the seminar participants who explained that the problem
    described was a problem of contract law and negotiation
    skill as opposed to an abuse of dominance.  (Comment: the
    problems of fixed fee DVD licenses has been repeatedly
    mentioned by Chinese companies and government officials for
    several years.  However a critical problem with the argument
    remains that China has benefited enormously by being able to
    manufacture optical media readers under license without
    having contributed any key technologies to their
    development.  At the same time, China seems to be intent on
    taking a generous view of TRIPS Article 40, which authorizes
    Control of Anti-Competitive Practices in Contractual
    Licenses.  End Comment.)

    ¶10. (SBU) DOJ Masoudi and FTC Blumenthal defended the right
    of IP holders to charge whatever price and to choose with
    whom to deal, and described the very narrow and specific
    instances in that would qualify as a competition abuse
    involving intellectual property.  At the end of this
    discussion, DG Shang reiterated China's resolve to protect
    intellectual property rights as put forth in Chinese laws.
    (Comment: However, he appeared unconvinced and clearly
    reflects the continued pressure from those who push for
    limiting the protection of foreign intellectual property
    rights.  End Comment.)

    Big Retailers are Not Bad
    -------------------------

    ¶11. (SBU) Also noteworthy, DG Shang pointed out that there
    have been many complaints in China over the pricing power of
    large retailers.  He pointed out that large retailers in
    general do not have more than 10 percent market share, but
    appear to be able to set the prices at which they buy from
    suppliers.  OECD Bernard Phillips responded that each
    jurisdiction also received similar complaints from small
    retailers who compete with large retailers.  Phillips
    suggested that China ignore all the complaints.  He pointed
    out the efficiency of large retailers to push supplier
    prices down and, due to fierce competition in the retail
    sector, pass on those savings to consumers.  Walmart, he
    said, has the same profit margin that it had 20 years ago
    before its large expansion in the retail sector.

    ¶12. (SBU) During informal discussions with ECONoff, OECD
    Phillips agreed that the philosophical debate over

    BEIJING 00011706  004.2 OF 004

    administrative monopolies and government abuse had risen to
    a high level in China and likely involved other agencies
    like the National Development and Reform Commission and
    others.  Phillips offered to provide comparative country
    studies that the OECD conducted that illustrate how
    economies that embraced competition grew at higher rates
    than economies that did not.

    ¶13. (SBU) The rest of the program covered specific
    implementation issues related to investigation procedures
    and powers, fees, confidentiality of information, penalties
    for non-compliance with reporting requirements and leniency
    strategies for battling cartels.  ECONoff asked a MOFCOM
    official during an informal break about the progress on
    drafting implementing regulations for the AML and for other
    laws and regulations under the purview of MOFCOM.  That
    official revealed that MOFCOM's Anti-Monopoly Office had
    already drafted a large set of such regulations, but would
    not release them until after the AML formally grants MOFCOM
    specific responsibilities.

    ¶14. (SBU) At the close of the seminar, MOFCOM officials and
    participants agreed technical exchanges and discussions
    should continue in the coming months as the Chinese
    Government initiates the final stage of review and begins
    drafting implementing regulations for the AML.  ADB
    representatives mentioned that they have a standing
    agreement to work with the NPC Legislative Affairs
    Commission and would suggest another seminar on the AML Law
    in the near future.

    Embassy Comment
    ---------------

    ¶15. (SBU) The draft AML appears to be nearly finalized with
    little room left for change before legislative review.  On
    June 8, Chinese media reported that the State Council has
    approved the draft AML in principle for submission to the
    NPC in late June, and is working on a few final revisions.
    The State Council has not released the text to the public.
    History does not bode well for radical change to State
    Council-submitted draft laws, but many academics and
    observers note that the NPC may go beyond its traditional
    "rubber stamping" role.  We shall see.

    ¶16. (SBU) According to MOFCOM comments in Hangzhou, it
    appears that multiple agencies may need to be engaged in the
    future to ensure sound and consistent application of
    competition law.  Intellectual property rights protection
    also continues to be a major concern, despite the noticeable
    quieter voices of those in China who seek to limit
    protections for foreign intellectual property.  Finally,
    given fierce philosophical debate over government abuses of
    competition that MOFCOM illustrated, more work needs to be
    done to convince the Chinese Government toadopt more
    competition tools instead of fallig back on the old habits
    of regulatory rigidity to reform and further develop its
    economy.

    ¶17. (U) FTC General Counsel William Blumenthal and DOJ
    Deputy Assistant Attorney General Gerald Masoudi cleared
    this cable, including the Embassy Comment.

    Randt

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