The market watchdog in Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province on Monday warned about price gouging during typhoon days could be punished with fines of up to 3 million yuan ($421,827), Chinanews.com reported.
As Ragasa, the 18th typhoon of this year, makes its way toward the coastal area of South China, becoming the strongest typhoon to affect China so far this year, with its extreme intensity, wide wind field and extreme characteristics, the Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation issued on Tuesday a notice of warning on market pricing behaviors. The notice emphasized maintaining price stability, especially for essentials such as vegetables, grains and oils, meat, poultry and eggs.
The administration reminds all business operators, especially those selling essential daily goods in farmers’ markets and supermarkets, to strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations, strengthen self-discipline in pricing, maintain a sound market price order and refrain from infringing on consumers’ legitimate rights and interests, or disrupt market price stability.
The administration banned fabricating or spreading rumors of price hikes, raising prices sharply without cost justification, and driving commodity prices excessively high. Hoarding daily necessities beyond normal quantities or storage cycles without legitimate reasons is also prohibited. In addition, businesses are forbidden from colluding or manipulating prices in ways that harm competitors or consumers.
Violations of clear pricing rules can result in fines of up to 5,000 yuan. Those engaging in price frauds may be fined up to 500,000 yuan. Those who fabricate or spread information about price increases, hike prices, hoard goods to drive prices up, or driving up prices too quickly or excessively may face a maximum fine of 3 million yuan. Collusion or manipulation that causes significant price increases may incur fines of up to 5 million yuan.
The regulator ordered businesses to strictly follow clear pricing rules, ensuring price tags are accurate, complete and correctly matched to goods. Practices such as inflated final prices, false discounts, inducements, or failing to honor price commitments are strictly prohibited.
The regulator urged all businesses to conduct self-inspections and make corrections in accordance with laws and regulations. The administration will step up supervision of market pricing during the typhoon period, strictly investigate and punish any violations that are not corrected after warnings, and seek joint enforcement with other authorities.
Last September, as super typhoon Yagi hit South China’s Hainan Province, a group of business operators, including hotels and hardware and electrical machinery stores, were exposed for violations such as price gouging and failing to clearly mark prices as required, according to a CCTV report.
Some hotels were found to have increased their room rates by four to five times during the typhoon compared with their usual prices, while some hardware and electromechanical stores raised prices and sold disaster-relief supplies such as generators, chainsaws, and electric saws without clearly marking prices.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0924/c90000-20370140.html