Market regulation staff inspect mooncakes at supermarkets. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Chongqing - What makes a city a reliable place to do business and a safer place to shop? Chongqing is stepping up efforts to improve market regulation, with progress in manufacturing quality, business development and consumer protection.

At an early November press conference, Chongqing unveiled its Market Regulation Plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). Over the past five years, its manufacturing quality index reached 90.6, above the national average, while its business entity quality index rose from 71.01 to 73.62. Product safety remained stable, and Chongqing ranked 23rd among 100 cities in a national consumer satisfaction survey.

By 2030, Chongqing aims to raise its manufacturing quality competitiveness index to 92, its business entity development quality index to 78, and public satisfaction with the fair competition environment to 96%, building a fairer, more dynamic and safer market.

Law enforcement officers from the Municipal Market Supervision Administration inspected computers, mobile phones and other office items at Chongqing Woodpecker Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Making market competition fairer

One of the plan's priorities is to remove barriers that prevent businesses from competing on an equal footing.

Chongqing is advancing legislation on fair competition reviews, which would establish clearer requirements for examining government policies and measures that could affect market competition. Key areas include government subsidies, investment promotion, public procurement and bidding.

The city also plans to strengthen oversight of monopolistic and unfair business practices, targeting issues such as false advertising, commercial bribery and the abuse of market dominance. Online platforms will face closer scrutiny over practices including the misuse of algorithms, leveraging market power to restrict competition and forcing merchants to sell at excessively low prices.

For businesses, these measures are intended to reduce hidden market barriers and create a more level playing field, regardless of ownership structure or company size.

Market regulation staff conduct on-site inspections of special equipment. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Making it easier to start and run a business

Chongqing will further upgrade its Yuyue Yiqiban initiative, a government service program designed to support businesses throughout their lifecycle.

The city plans to expand integrated services covering company registration, changes to business information and deregistration, allowing multiple procedures to be handled together. It will also develop the Yuqiyue Online digital service platform to improve access to government services and business-related support.

Cross-regional cooperation with Sichuan Province will also be strengthened. Measures include aligning market access standards, simplifying the transfer of business registrations between the two regions and enabling eligible companies to handle certain procedures remotely.

These efforts are designed to reduce administrative burdens and make it easier for businesses to establish, relocate and expand their operations.

Strengthening quality infrastructure for industry

Chongqing also plans to improve the technical services that support manufacturing and industrial innovation.

The city will strengthen its network of national and municipal industrial measurement and testing centers, including facilities serving the automotive, motorcycle, aluminum and hydrogen-powered vehicle industries. It will also expand quality inspection and testing resources to help companies improve product quality and accelerate testing procedures.

Another priority is to integrate measurement, standards and product testing services closer to industrial parks and manufacturing clusters, helping companies address shared technical challenges.

To support international expansion, Chongqing plans to improve its technical trade services for markets in ASEAN and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The goal is to help companies understand overseas technical requirements, navigate trade barriers and obtain testing and certification results that can be recognized across multiple markets.

Protecting consumers and building market confidence

The plan also emphasizes consumer protection as a foundation for a healthy market.

Chongqing will strengthen oversight of food and drug safety, with particular attention to products and services involving older people and children. It will also step up enforcement against misleading pricing, inaccurate product descriptions and other practices that undermine consumer trust.

For online commerce, the city plans to clarify the responsibilities of platforms, merchants and livestreaming hosts, while strengthening supervision of online shopping and food delivery services.

Consumers will also have more channels to seek help and resolve disputes. Chongqing plans to expand online dispute resolution services, develop consumer rights protection stations and promote the use of the national 12315 consumer complaint platform.

A joint law enforcement team composed of market regulation, education and other departments in Qianjiang District conducted surprise inspections of food safety at primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in its jurisdiction. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)

Moving toward smarter, more targeted regulation

Digital technology and artificial intelligence will play a growing role in Chongqing's market supervision.

The city plans to improve its credit-based regulatory system, offering more convenience to businesses with good compliance records while strengthening coordinated oversight of companies with serious violations. It will also improve credit repair mechanisms to help eligible businesses restore their credit records after correcting violations.

In areas such as elevator safety and food supervision, Chongqing will expand the use of AI and connected monitoring systems to identify potential risks and issue early warnings.

The broader goal is to move from reactive inspections to preventive risk management, making regulation more targeted while reducing unnecessary interference in compliant businesses.

Through these five priorities, Chongqing aims to build a market environment that supports business development, encourages innovation and protects the interests of both companies and consumers.