Consumer concerns core of the issue

Antitrust probes are not targeted at foreign firms, to result in fairer prices

Chinese consumers could benefit from lower prices as more than 1,000 companies are being probed by antitrust investigators, a top legal expert says.

Wang Xiaoye, professor at the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, who advised the Chinese government on the introduction of anti-monopoly legislation, says the investigations may lead to Chinese consumers being given protection similar to what people in Europe and the United States have enjoyed for decades.