Stiff penalties for price rigging

Mounting inflationary pressure and public concerns about further price rises have led the government to impose tougher punishments on price manipulators.

The economic planners have warned against manipulating market prices, saying the revised regulation against price irregularities is ready for the approval of the State Council.

"To punish such wrongdoings, we plan to increase the fine," said Zhang Manying, deputy director of pricing supervision department of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) yesterday at an online discussion.