Hong Kong competition watchdog adds touch of drama to campaign about fair play

Hong Kong’s antitrust watchdog has launched a citywide campaign to raise awareness about the risks of sharing commercially sensitive information among businesses.

The initiative will remind companies that they risk falling foul of the law if they share information such as pricing, costs or future business strategies.

To make the topic more engaging, the Competition Commission will roll out a three-episode romantic short drama, together with leaflets, exhibitions and lectures, to help local enterprises understand what information can – and cannot – be shared with competitors under the Competition Ordinance.

Competition Commission executive director Gary Shiu Moon-cheung on Tuesday said information related to prices and quantities, details specific to an individual company, and data about markets with only a few players, were more likely to raise concerns under the law.

“Enterprises should plan and implement their own business strategies independently,” said Shiu. “If they share sensitive information, it will be easier for competitors to predict and align their behaviour, thereby harming effective competition.”

He added that not all exchanges of information among companies in the same industry were prohibited. For example, sharing details about employee safety, emission standards or discussions about public policies and regulatory matters generally would not pose a competition risk.