China to punish Chrysler, Audi for anti-trust violations: official

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Two separate anti-trust probes into Chrysler and Audi have found that the two multinational carmakers have pursued monopolistic practices and will be punished, an official with China's top economic planning agency said Wednesday.

Li Pumin, spokesman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), told reporters that the Chrysler investigation was launched by the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Audi probe was conducted by the Hubei Province Price Bureau.

The two investigations are drawing to an end, he said, without specifying details of the punishment.

Li also confirmed that the Jiangsu Province Price Bureau launched an anti-trust investigation last week into dealers of German auto giant Mercedes-Benz in five Jiangsu cities.

On Monday, inspectors from the Jiangsu Province Price Bureau and the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission made visits to Mercedes-Benz's Shanghai premises, he said.

Inspectors are still collecting evidence and investigating whether Mercedes-Benz has used monopolistic tactics, Li said.

The NDRC is one of three government anti-trust agencies in China. It is in charge of the examination and regulation of price-related monopolistic practices.

According to Li, the NDRC has recently finished investigations into 12Japanese companies and found monopolistic behaviors in auto parts and bearing prices. Li said the commission will punish them in accordance with the law.

Li said the commission launched anti-monopoly probes into the auto industry at the end of 2011 with the aim to safeguard competition in the market and protect customers' legitimate rights.

China has an anti-monopoly legal system containing an Anti-Monopoly Law, Regulations on Anti-Price Monopoly and Procedural Regulations on Administrative Enforcement of Anti-Price Monopoly.

发展改革委：克莱斯勒、奥迪存在垄断行为近期将受到处罚

新华网北京８月６日电（安蓓、陈翰哲）国家发展和改革委员会秘书长、新闻发言人李朴民６日说，目前上海市发改委对克莱斯勒、湖北省物价局对奥迪的调查已经接近尾声，现已查明两家企业确实存在垄断行为，近期将会受到相应处罚。

李朴民在回答记者提问时说，上周江苏省物价局反垄断分局已对苏州、无锡等五个城市的奔驰经销商进行了反垄断调查。８月４日，上海市发改委、江苏省物价局所属的反垄断局组织力量，对奔驰公司上海办事处进行了调查。奔驰是不是存在垄断行为，目前正在调查取证。

他介绍说，近日发展改革委已完成对日本１２家企业实施汽车零部件和轴承价格垄断案的调查工作，并将依法进行处罚。具体结果和进一步信息将于近日公布。

李朴民说，发展改革委对汽车及配件的调查，开始于２０１１年底。发展改革委在广泛征求相关企业、行业协会、专家和律师意见的基础上，对严重违反反垄断法的一些汽车整车、零配件生产企业和经销商进行了调查，并将根据违法的情况依法作出处理，目的就是维护汽车市场的竞争秩序，保护消费者的合法权益。