Pakistan, China moving towards ‘competition cooperation framework’

Pakistan and China are moving toward practical use of their competition cooperation framework, according to Business Recorder. The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) and China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) are looking at closer technical work on cartel detection, merger review, digital markets and market intelligence. The talks took place in Xi'an between CCP Chairman Farid Ahmad Tarar and SAMR Vice Minister Shu Wei while Tarar attended China's 2026 National Fair Competition Conference.

The two sides also reviewed the June 2024 memorandum on anti-monopoly cooperation, the first international pact the CCP concluded in its 16-year history. That agreement created a structure for bilateral meetings, training, workshops, research and information exchange. The current discussions focus on turning that structure into practice, with Tarar seeking technical training, expert exchanges and knowledge sharing from China's enforcement experience.

Regulators face growing complexity from artificial intelligence, algorithms and platform-based commerce, making digital markets a major area for joint work. Separately, the CCP is improving its ability to gather market information and enforce rules using data. Tarar argued that closer CCP-SAMR work would make both agencies better placed to handle linked digital markets, and would support a predictable setting for trade, investment and economic ties, including CPEC.