Regional Competition Bites Q2 2023

The Regional Competition Bites Q2 2023 - we here share various legislative and regulatory developments across Southeast Asia. Numerous developments have occurred on the merger front in a number of countries, as well as on the behavioural and investigation side.

On merger control, Cambodia has issued various new regulations which sets out applicable penalties for violating the Law on Competition and also introduces a post-merger notification regime. This follows Cambodia’s recent establishment of its merger control framework, which will come into effect in Cambodia in September 2023.The Philippines has also issued non-horizontal merger review guidelines, with draft guidelines in progress for the motu proprio review of mergers in digital markets. Thailand has issued fines against real estate developers for the late filing of merger notifications.

Mergers aside, the Indonesia Competition Commission has introduced a series of new guidelines on bid-rigging, relevant market definition, and assessment of negative impact, and a Checklist of Competition policies for the government to ensure that its policies align with fair business competition principles. Vietnam is also reviewing its draft Consumer Protection Law and has approved a plan that aims to strengthen anti-counterfeiting measures and protect consumers in online transactions.

In Singapore, sustainability remains a focus, and the regulator has just launched a public consultation on proposed guidance for evaluating environmental sustainability collaborations among competitors soon.