The second quarter of 2023 witnessed China's continued enthusiasm towards antitrust enforcement, which did not waver to any significant extent despite the unprecedently hot summer this year. This is evidenced by the issuance of one conditional approval on a domestic merger, ten decisions on conduct issues, one implementing provision and three draft compliance guidelines, more details of which appear below.

Outside China, the digital economy continues to be under the spotlight in the region. South Korea imposed a fine on Google for abusing dominance in the Android app store market, and published measures targeting online dark commercial platforms; Japan released the Mobile Ecosystem Final Report; Hong Kong consulted on commitments offered by two online food delivery platforms, namely Foodpanda and Deliveroo; and the Indian court directed the competition authority to investigate a complaint against Google's new billing system. On merger control, this quarter witnessed heavy intervention. Legislative and institutional updates are also noteworthy.