MOC antitrust team visits firms

A Chinese anti-monopoly team visited medical devices and semiconductor firms in Shanghai at the beginning of September, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC)said in a statement Thursday, without making clear the purpose of the visit.

"Through on-site visits to firms and by holding forums, we deepened our understanding of the competitive environment in industries such as semiconductors and medical devices," the ministry said.

The three-day visit was led by the Zheng Wen, deputy head of the MOC's anti-monopoly unit.

Industry insiders expect a wave of M&As in the domestic medical devices sector. China is looking to promote local players in the market which it says will reduce soaring healthcare costs.

China has also been looking to consolidate the semiconductor market in order to make the domestic industry more competitive, analysts said.