It took 16 years for a Chinese vitamin C exporter to win an antitrust lawsuit in the United States

Our reporter Yang Xiaojing

In the vitamin C antitrust lawsuit initiated by the United States against Chinese companies, North China Pharmaceutical Group recently won the retrial

In this case, Judge William Nardini of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit stated in his opinion: The Chinese defendant company (the defendant and the appellant in this case) is required by Chinese law to monopolize the price of vitamin C sold in the international market.

According to reports, this case is the first anti-monopoly case encountered by Chinese export products in the United States

The U.

"The core dispute in this case involves the 'pre-verification and signature management system' for vitamin C product exports previously implemented in China

On March 14, 2013 local time in the United States, the New York District Court of First Instance made a decision on the vitamin C anti-monopoly case, holding that the plaintiff accused Hebei Weikang and its parent company, North China Pharmaceutical, to be legally responsible for manipulating the price of vitamin C products.

The other defendants in this case, Chinese companies, have reached out-of-court settlements before the jury of the first-instance court made a decision

On April 5, 2017, the U.

"This judgment is a milestone for Chinese enterprises to go global

Zhang Beibei also reminded that in the process of "going out", Chinese enterprises should adapt to market rules, strengthen their study and mastery of anti-monopoly laws at home and abroad, and have the courage to take up legal weapons to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests when encountering similar problems

"China Food News" (August 23, 2021 06 edition)

(Editor-in-charge: Yang Xiaojing)