File photo VCG

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), China's top market regulator, on Friday held regulatory talk with three food delivery platforms including Ele.me, Meituan and JD.com, calling on them to strictly adhere to the country's e-commerce, anti-unfair-competition, and food safety laws.

These firms are required to fulfill their social responsibility, regulate their promotional practices, and participate in competition rationally, according to a statement on the SAMR website.

The meeting emphasized the need to build a sound ecosystem that benefits consumers, platform operators, and delivery workers in a bid to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the catering service industry.

The discussion emerged against the backdrop of growing competition in the country's food delivery sector, with many market players getting into the sector to compete for a slice of the burgeoning industry.

Around two months ago, SAMR and four other government organs held regulatory talk with major food delivery platforms, urging them to address pressing issues concerning the sector's competitive practices.

As of December 2024, the number of online food delivery users in China reached 592 million, accounting for 53.4 percent of the total internet users of the country, according to statistics released by the China Internet Network Information Center. Industry data also shows that there are currently over 10 million food delivery workers across the country, the Xinhua News Agency reported.