Foreigners Cry Foul as China Widens Antimonopoly Probes

The backlash to China’s latest campaign against foreign companies has begun. The country’s antimonopoly enforcers have been on a tear, targeting such automakers as Audi, Chrysler, and Mercedes as well as tech companies such as Microsoft and Qualcomm. On Monday, General Motors said regulators have been asking its joint venture with local partner SAIC Motor for information since 2012.

And when the Chinese regulators ask for information, you give them what they want. As I reported last week, while multinationals are entitled to question investigator demands and appeal their rulings, companies run the risk of adding to their problems by exposing themselves to accusations of obstructing investigations. “Generally, you have to show a good attitude,” Janet Yung Yung Hui, a partner at Chinese law firm Jun He, told me.