China's market regulator probes Meituan unit over unfair competition

China's market regulator has launched an investigation into a unit of food-delivery giant Meituan over suspected breaches of the country's unfair competition laws, the state broadcaster CCTV said on Saturday.

The probe targets Beijing Sankuai Information Technology, a Meituan subsidiary, according to the report. The Beijing branch of the State Administration for Market Regulation is handling the case.

The same regulator is also investigating three other companies — Hangzhou Taomei Aviation Services, Tongcheng Network Technology and Tujia Online Information Technology (Tianjin) — following preliminary findings, CCTV said.

The four firms are being examined under the same set of competition rules, though the regulator did not detail the specific allegations against any of them.

Meituan, one of China's largest platform companies, operates services spanning food delivery, travel booking and local commerce. The investigation adds to a series of regulatory actions targeting the country's major internet platforms in recent years.