Guiding Opinions of the State Administration for Market Regulation on Investigating and Punishing the Illegal Acts of Forcing up Prices during the Prevention and Control of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Outbreak.

The Guiding Opinions are developed in accordance with the Price Law, the Provisions on Administrative Punishments against Price-related Violations of Law and other laws and regulations, aiming at ensuring the stability of market price order of masks, antiviral drugs, disinfection and sterilization supplies, and related medical devices and other epidemic prevention supplies, as well as grain, oil, meat, eggs, vegetables, milk and other basic commodities for the people's livelihood during the prevention and control of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia outbreak, strengthening and regulating the investigation and punishment of illegal acts of forcing up prices conducted by market regulatory departments at all levels.
No business operator may fabricate or disseminate information on increase in prices of epidemic prevention supplies or commodities for the people's livelihood. Any act of fabrication or dissemination by a business operator may be determined as the illegal act of forcing up prices set out in subparagraph (1) of Article 6 of the Provisions on Administrative Punishments against Price-related Violations of Law. A business operator falling under any of the circumstances listed in Section 4 may be determined as having constituted the illegal act of forcing up prices set out in subparagraph (2) of Article 6 of the Provisions on Administrative Punishments against Price-related Violations of Law.