The Chinese regulator has published draft guidelines for fees online platforms charge third-party merchants, an important source of revenue for companies including JD.com, Meituan and PDD Holdings Inc. Companies that operate online platforms should charge reasonable fees and take into account factors like the operational status of merchants with which they do businesses, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the country’s anti-monopoly regulator, said in a statement on Sunday. The regulator said the deadline for feedback on the draft guidance is June 3. This is the latest in a series of steps by Beijing to support local merchants that are under pressure from a sluggish local economy and a trade war with the US, and also have to deal with online platforms’ longtime customer-first approach. The platforms should set flexible pricing strategies for charges including commission, membership and service fees to reduce merchants’ burdens, and they should offer better support to smaller businesses, according to the statement. The guidance was issued after complaints from merchants about issues including “complicated and non-transparent” charges on the platforms, the regulator said. It is intended to help platform companies improve fee-related compliance frameworks and encourage the healthy development of the industry, according to the statement. China Asks Online Platform Cos. to Support Individual Businesses Beijing has been increasing efforts to rein in online platforms’ consumer-first practices, which merchants say affect margins. Late last year, the regulator and the Ministry of Commerce told PDD Holdings executives that its policy which allows shoppers to claim refunds without returning purchased goods placed an unfair burden on small merchants, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese merchants are also facing further pressure from the US’ cancellation of a loophole that exempted smaller packages shipped to America from tariffs. De Minimis — which loosely translates as “too small to matter” — merchandise was allowed to be shipped directly to US consumers from abroad, usually bypassing warehouses and distribution hubs. The US introduced tariffs on these shipments from May 2. With assistance from Debby Wu. ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. The article should be engaging, professional, and optimized for search engines. Follow these steps: 1. **Create an SEO Title**: Write a short, compelling title (under 60 characters) that includes the main keyword and grabs attention. 2. **Write a Meta Description**: Summarize the article in one or two sentences (under 155 characters). Make it engaging and include the primary keyword naturally. 3. **Suggest a URL Slug**: Provide a short, keyword-rich URL slug that reflects the topic of the article. 4. **Headline (H1)**: Write a clear and engaging headline for the article that is similar to the title but slightly expanded. 5. **Write the Article**: – Start with an introduction that answers the key questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. – Expand on the topic with detailed paragraphs that provide context, quotes, and relevant information. – Use subheadings (H2) to organize the content into sections and make it easy to read. – Include related keywords naturally throughout the article. – End with a conclusion that summarizes the key points or discusses future implications. 6. **Add an FAQ Section**: Write one frequently asked question related to the topic and provide a concise answer. Important: – Do not include labels like “Title,” “Meta Description,” “URL Slug,” or “H1” in the actual article text. – Keep all SEO elements separate from the main content. – Ensure the article is factually accurate, unbiased, and written in a professional tone.
China Releases Preliminary Guidelines for Fees Imposed on Merchants by Online Platforms.
