Overview
- The European Commission opened a formal investigation in May to determine whether JD.com received Chinese state support such as subsidies, tax breaks, or cheap credit that could have distorted its takeover of Ceconomy, owner of MediaMarkt and Saturn.
- This week Beijing publicly condemned the probe, instructed certain Chinese organizations and individuals not to assist EU information requests, and threatened unspecified countermeasures if the EU continues the investigation.
- JD.com says it did not receive foreign subsidies tied to the deal and has declared it will cooperate with investigators despite the Chinese government’s restrictions.
- German authorities have given mixed signals: the Bundeskartellamt approved the takeover while a separate investment review by the federal economics ministry remains active, so national clearance has not ended supranational scrutiny.
- The case tests the EU’s new foreign‑subsidy rules that target distortions from state support and could reshape EU‑China economic ties if limited access to evidence forces tougher remedies or prompts reciprocal measures from Beijing.