Meituan sentenced to heavy fine

China has fined Meituan the equivalent of 460 million euros. After a five-month antitrust investigation, the authorities concluded that Meituan had exploited its dominant position (China.Table reported). Meituan, which is known for its food delivery services, had forced merchants to offer their services exclusively on the company’s platform rather than competing providers, according to the South China Morning Post. The fine is equivalent to about three percent of Meituan’s annual turnover in China. Observers had initially expected a higher fine. Alibaba had to pay the equivalent of 2.3 billion euros for exploiting its dominant position in April this year (China.Table reported).