Markets Wired

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez met today in Beijing with officials from China’s three antitrust agencies to follow up on the U.S. and Chinese agencies’ high-level dialogue regarding antitrust developments and priorities.

Chairwoman Ramirez held meetings with Shang Ming, Director General of the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), Hu Zucai, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Xu Kunlin, Director General of NDRC’s Price Supervision and Anti-Monopoly Bureau, and Ren Airong, Director General of the Anti-Monopoly and Anti-Unfair Competition Enforcement Bureau of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

Ramirez traveled to Beijing, along with FTC Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Leslie Overton, Deputy Assistant Attorney General with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, and other FTC and DOJ officials, to meet with Chinese officials and participate in the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law’s first conference in China. Ramirez will deliver a keynote speech at the conference on Thursday focusing on three keys to ensuring an effective competition agency and the sound application of the antitrust laws: fair and transparent investigative procedures; decisions based solely on competition considerations, not other economic or social goals; and the need to strike a careful balance that maximizes consumer welfare when competition principles touch on other important values, such as respect for intellectual property rights.  She will also deliver remarks as part of the opening plenary session.  In addition, Commissioner Ohlhausen will participate in a panel on Abuse of Dominance and the Intellectual Property Interface.

On July 27, 2011, the FTC and DOJ signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the three Chinese antitrust agencies, which is designed to enhance communication and cooperation, as well as periodic high-level consultations among all five agencies. Since then, officials with the U.S. and Chinese agencies have held two joint, high-level meetings.

As more U.S. companies and consumers do business overseas, more FTC work involves international cooperation.  The Office of International Affairs serves both as an internal resource to Commission staff on international aspects of their work and as an official representative to numerous international organizations.  In addition, the FTC cooperates with foreign authorities through formal and informal agreements.  The FTC works with more than 100 foreign competition and consumer protection authorities around the world to promote sound policy approaches.  For questions about the Office of International Affairs, send an e-mail to oia@ftc.gov. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases and the FTC International Monthly for the latest FTC news and resources.