JD.com asks China's antitrust regulator to investigate Alibaba

E-commerce giant JD.com has sent a letter of complaint to China’s State Administration of Industry and Commerce requesting an investigation into whether rival Alibaba’s policies violate a new regulation forbidding firms from limiting or barring their merchants from participating in other platforms’ promotional events, Reuters reported. JD.com said in its letter its merchants were being threatened with punishment or sanctions by Alibaba’s Tmall shopping site if they participated in other platforms’ activities if they took part in Tmall’s November 11 online shopping event known as “Singles’ Day”. A new regulation that forbids e-commerce firms from placing such limitations on merchants came into effect on October 1.