The first announced merger control decision under the Anti-monopoly Law

On November 18 2008, the Anti-Monopoly Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce (Mofcom) announced its first conditional merger control decision under the Anti-monopoly Law (中华人民共和国反垄断法) (AML). The decision relates to the proposed acquisition of Anheuser-Busch Companies (AB) by InBev. A senior official of the Anti-Monopoly Bureau later revealed that Mofcom had received more than 10 merger control filings, accepted 13, and decided eight since August 1 2008 (when the AML became effective), but this was the first it had publicly announced.