#252 - Chapter 252 Antitrust Law

“Councilor He just said that the development of the Huatong Business Association will lead to a situation where the tail wags the dog in the future. I think this view is valid, but not comprehensive. What is the underlying logic of 'the tail wagging the dog'? It's a lack of supervision. Not just the Huatong Business Association, anything that grows unchecked in the absence of supervision may end up in a situation where the tail wags the dog. And what is the underlying logic of the lack of supervision? It's inaction.”

“Last year, the council passed a bill allowing the free formation of defensive forces by the people to cope with potential future crises. The establishment and development of the Huatong Business Association is a product of this policy advocacy. Therefore, the Huatong Business Association has legitimacy. It's just that we haven't developed relevant laws and regulations to guide and constrain these non-governmental organizations. From this perspective, if the Huatong Business Association becomes too powerful and does something that harms the interests of Huaguo, is it caused by our inaction today?”

“Furthermore, in this special period, the strategy we should adopt is to liberalize the power of the people as much as possible to jointly cope with the ecological crisis. We should not regard all non-official forces as hypothetical enemies. This approach is very dangerous because it essentially deprives the general public of their sense of responsibility and initiative to confront the crisis.”

“Our policy should be open, inclusive, and united. We can even introduce a special law to regulate and guide the behavior of non-governmental organizations. Those who make outstanding contributions should be commended, and those who violate regulations should be punished. In this way, more Huatong Business Associations will emerge, and Huaguo will have more opportunities to overcome this crisis.”

“Conversely, if everyone thinks that the behavior of the Huatong Business Association is transgressive, illegal, and threatening, I think we can completely strangle them while they haven't developed yet. Don't wait until they expose their fangs before trying to pull their teeth; it will be too late.”

This statement by Pang Lejia, the Director of the Department of Justice, silenced everyone.

That's right, if you support it, enact laws to regulate management. If you don't support it, don't drag it out; just cut it off directly. The current ambiguity is really uncomfortable.

The Huatong Business Association is just a non-governmental organization. Does the council do nothing every day but discuss them endlessly? Is this the Huaguo Council or the Huatong Business Association's Council?

“I think Councilor Pang's words make sense. I propose a complete ban on the Huatong Business Association,” said He Jinghui, the Director of the Security Department.

Everyone was shocked by He Jinghui's words and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Is that what I meant?” Councilor Pang was also dumbfounded.

Banning the Huatong Business Association is just a matter of a word. But the consequences of a ban are too serious and could cause major chaos.

“See? Everyone's words are very beautiful, but when it comes to taking real action, they all chicken out. What does this mean? It means that the Huatong Business Association has developed to the point where it cannot be ignored. You are already afraid to ban them easily now, so what about in another year or so? I'm afraid we won't even have the right to manage them by then,” He Jinghui said.

“We can introduce a law to regulate and guide their behavior. There's no need to kill them with one blow!” Councilor Pang said.

“The reasoning is correct, but whether the law can play a restrictive role depends on how the law enforcement officers implement it. Judging from everyone's attitude just now, I think that even if a law is formulated, the constraints on the Huatong Business Association will be very limited. In a word, if you don't dare to punish them, the law is just a piece of waste paper,” He Jinghui said decisively.

“Let me tell you why the Huatong Business Association can be so presumptuous! That's because they have mastered technologies that even Huaguo hasn't mastered. These advanced technologies have made them firmly sit in a monopoly position. So, in essence, they are not the same concept as other non-governmental organizations at all and cannot be discussed together,” He Jinghui's speech hit the nail on the head, and the other councilors were speechless for a while.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Baili Ji opened his mouth and said:

“Councilor He is right. The Huatong Business Association's monopoly position is the crux of solving this problem. Let's do this. The Huatong Business Association's monopoly issue will be punished in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 'Anti-Monopoly Law'. We will continue to discuss the Huatong Business School and the matter of seconded experts and professors.”

“If that's the case, then I have a suggestion. We can use the resources from the punishment to establish a new academy in the name of the council. This way, we can not only settle some high-end talents, but also, if the Huatong Business Association has needs, we can completely take the path of targeted training. As long as they are willing to spend resources, we can cultivate them with the same effect,” Shang Yangping, the Director of the Department of Civil Affairs, suggested.

“I don't agree. Resources are already tight now. If the Huatong Business Association is willing to pay the fine, this fund can obviously be used for more purposes. Why should we establish an academy that doesn't have much effect? As long as we agree to the Business Association establishing its own academy, the problem of talent settlement can still be solved, and the council doesn't need to invest any funds. Why should we be entangled in who establishes the academy? If the council needs it in the future, it won't be too late to prepare for it then!” Chen Guanxuan, the Director of the Department of Finance, said.