China orders entities not to assist EU’s JD.com probe

China said that a European Union investigation into Chinese ‌e-commerce giant JD.com constituted “improper extraterritorial jurisdiction” and ordered entities not to implement or assist with the probe, reports Reuters.

The ​order, issued by the justice ministry, is ​the second time that China has invoked ⁠its regulations countering “unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction measures”. Introduced in ​April, the regulations expanded Beijing’s economic pressure toolkit amid ​strained ties with trading partners including the EU.

The European Commission opened an investigation in May into JD.com’s $2.5 billion bid for ​German electronics retailer Ceconomy under the Foreign ​Subsidies Regulation, citing concerns that JD.com might have received ‌foreign ⁠subsidies that could distort the bloc’s market.