China steps up pressure on Alibaba with anti-monopoly probe

A security guard mans a checkpoint into the Alibaba Group headquarters in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang province in 2016. — AP

BEIJING: Chinese regulators on Dec 24 announced an anti-monopoly investigation of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, stepping up official efforts to tighten control over China’s fast-growing tech industries.

The market regulator said it was looking into Alibaba’s policy of "choose one of two”, which requires business partners to avoid dealing with competitors. The one-sentence statement gave no details of possible penalties or a timeline to announce a result.