On June 11, 2026, Beijing’s market regulator summoned representatives from major Chinese e-commerce platforms including JD.com, Pinduoduo, Taobao, Douyin, and RedNote to address misleading advertising practices before the annual 618 online shopping festival [1, 2, 3]. One source also cited Temu, related to Pinduoduo, among those summoned, though other reports did not mention Temu [1, 2, 3].
The meeting was part of a wider crackdown targeting what the regulator described as "involution-style" competition, a term referring to excessive rivalry paired with misleading promotions in the run-up to the shopping event [1, 2, 3]. Earlier in May, more than a dozen internet platforms were warned about such practices ahead of the 618 festival [2].
The Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation flagged several problematic issues. These included false advertising of promotional events, irregular or opaque promotion rules, incomplete disclosure of merchant information, and misleading subsidy campaigns. Some platforms had promoted billion-yuan subsidy campaigns without adequately disclosing the actual subsidy amounts or providing sufficient benefits to consumers. The total subsidy campaign amount cited reached 10 billion yuan [1, 3].
Officials proposed rectification requirements designed to prevent and reduce risks during the 618 shopping period. The regulator demanded clearer rules and full disclosure to protect consumers from deceptive marketing tactics [1, 3].
Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall were confirmed summoned by some reports, highlighting the regulator’s broad scope in targeting top e-commerce firms in the market [2].
The Beijing authorities plan to continue monitoring platforms and enforcing regulations closely as the 618 shopping festival progresses to ensure compliance and fair competition [1, 2, 3].
