Meituan accused of paying merchants to smear rival Taobao Shangou

According to Shanghai Securities News, a state-owned Chinese publication, Meituan, the leading food delivery service, allegedly compensated merchants to share negative details about its competitor, Taobao Shangou, which is part of Alibaba Group Holding. The inquiry indicates that Meituan was involved in this conduct while facing similar allegations itself. This issue surfaced in October 2025 when Beijing's market regulator initiated a crackdown on unhealthy competition and price wars. For instance, a dumpling shop received 5,000 yuan (US$738) for revealing that Taobao Shangou had lowered a dish's price without authorization. In March, regulators penalized Alibaba for unfairly pricing dumplings at 1.25 yuan instead of the usual 18 yuan. Other platforms, including Alibaba's Amap, JD.com, and Trip.com's Ctrip and Qunar, were also criticized, but Meituan was not explicitly named, despite its presence at the regulatory meeting. Meituan has not commented on the matter.