Fairness to be protected

ENQUIRIES AND PROBES ARE BEING CONDUCTED by the Chinese commerce authorities into a number of multinational corporations for their suspected attempts to manipulate prices and shortchange consumers in the China.

These investigations are a necessary service, rather than disservice, to China's market. Complaints about price manipulation are concentrated usually in the high end of the market - where long-established international brands are allegedly charging much higher prices in China than in other countries without a good reason and due explanation.

One should not mistake the timing of the investigations as a sign that the government's nationalistic bias is growing. On the contrary, the anti-trust investigators are only acting in ways prescribed by the law. Legality and fairness render more effective protection for a healthy market.