OREANDA-NEWS. September 28, 2011. The Minister of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Bohua, supported a proposal of the Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), Igor Artemyev to form a standing BRICS Working Group on cooperation in the field of competition enforcement, particularly control over transnational economic concentration. Zhou Bohua stated this during a bilateral meeting with FAS delegation in Beijing, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

In April 2011 at the BRICS summit in China the Heads of BRICS states determined the main areas for developing cooperation, particularly, in the field of antimonopoly policy. Zhou Bohua and Igor Artemyev discussed the necessary steps to be taken by the antimonopoly authorities of Russia and China to reach the agreed goals.

The Head of FAS Igor Artemyev emphasised that joint investigations of international cartels by BRICS countries would significantly strengthen the positions of the antimonopoly authorities of these countries in the world arena.

As a result of the meeting, the parties signed the Memorandum that determines the main areas of joint work of the competition authorities of Russia and China for 2012-2013.

The Minister also supported the proposal of Igor Artemyev to publish a book about competition law in BRICS countries, which would contain information about implementation and development of competition policy in Russia and China.

The Head of FAS expressed his confidence that development of bilateral cooperation between Russia and China in the field of antimonopoly regulation is consistent and productive: representatives of China’s antimonopoly authority took part in Competition Day in Russia, and in October they plan to visit Moscow, Vladivostok and St Petersburg to attend workshops on regulation of natural monopolies and on advertising.