China’s top market regulator imposes a penalty on Trip.com Group after an antitrust investigation. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) says Trip.com committed “monopolistic conduct” by abusing its dominant position in China’s online travel services market. SAMR fines the company 5.2 billion yuan (about US$765 million) and also confiscates illegal gains of 1.658 billion yuan, according to reporting that describes the decision as the conclusion of a six-month investigation. Coverage also cites anti-competitive practices including exclusive hotel deals. Trip.com operates the Trip.com international platform as well as China-focused services Ctrip and Qunar, and it owns the global travel site Skyscanner. Bloomberg and other outlets describe the investigation as spanning months and frame the action as the regulator’s finding of market-dominance abuse. Other reports provide a range of penalty figures in dollars, but all attribute the sanction to SAMR’s antitrust determination that Trip.com engaged in conduct that harms competition. The regulator’s decision reflects enforcement of China’s competition law against large platform operators.