252: Chapter 252 Antitrust Law

Councilor He just said that the development of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce would lead to a situation where it becomes too big to fail in the future. I believe this point is valid, but not comprehensive. What is the underlying logic of becoming too big to fail? It is a lack of oversight. Not just the Huatong Chamber of Commerce, anything, if left to grow without oversight, can potentially become too big to fail. And what is the underlying logic of a lack of oversight? It is inaction.

Last year, the Council passed a bill allowing private Citizens to freely form defensive forces to respond to potential future crises. The establishment and development of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is a product of this policy. Therefore, the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is legitimate. However, we have not formulated relevant laws and regulations to guide and regulate these private organizations. So, from this perspective, if the Huatong Chamber of Commerce becomes too big to fail and does something detrimental to Huaguo's interests, wouldn't it be due to our inaction today?

Furthermore, in this special period, the strategy we should adopt is to unseal civilian forces as much as possible to jointly address the ecological crisis. We should not treat all non-official forces as imaginary enemies. Such an approach is very dangerous because it essentially deprives the Citizens of their sense of responsibility and initiative to resist the crisis.

Our policies should be open, inclusive, and unifying. We could even specifically introduce a special law or regulation to standardize and guide the actions of private organizations. Those who make outstanding contributions should be commended, and those who violate regulations should be punished. Only then will more Huatong Chambers of Commerce emerge, and Huaguo will have more opportunities to overcome this crisis.

Conversely, if everyone believes that the actions of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce are overstepping, illegal, and threatening, I think it is entirely possible to nip them in the bud before they develop. Do not wait for them to bare their fangs before trying to pull their teeth; it will be too late.

The speech by Director-General Pang Lejia, the Director of the Legal Department, completely silenced everyone.

That's right, if you support it, introduce laws to regulate and manage it. If you do not support it, do not drag it out; just cut it off directly. Being ambiguous like now is truly uncomfortable.

The Huatong Chamber of Commerce is just a private organization. Does the Council do nothing every day but continuously discuss them? Is this Huaguo's Council, or is it the Huatong Chamber of Commerce's Council?

“I believe Councilor Pang's words make sense. I propose a complete ban on the Huatong Chamber of Commerce,” 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 bewildered.

Banning the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is a matter of a single sentence. But the consequences of a ban are too severe; it could lead to major chaos.

“See? The words are beautiful, but when it comes to real action, everyone backs down. What does this indicate? It indicates that the Huatong Chamber of Commerce has developed to an extent that cannot be ignored. You already dare not easily ban it now, so what about a year or a year and a half from now? I'm afraid by then, we won't even have the right to manage it,” He Jinghui said.

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

“The logic is correct, but whether the law can be binding depends on how the Enforcers implements it. From everyone's attitude just now, I believe that even if a law is enacted, its restraint on the Huatong Chamber of Commerce will be very limited. In a word, if you dare not punish it, the law is just a piece of waste paper,” He Jinghui said decisively.

“Let me tell everyone why the Huatong Chamber of Commerce can be so presumptuous! It is because they possess technology that even Huaguo does not. These advanced technologies firmly place them in a monopolistic position. So, in essence, it is not the same concept as other private organizations and cannot be discussed together,” He Jinghui's speech hit the nail on the head, and the other Councilors were speechless for a moment.

Baili Ji saw that everyone had fallen silent and then spoke:

“Councilor He is right; the monopolistic position of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is the crux of dealing with this issue. How about this: the monopoly of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce will be penalized according to the relevant provisions in the ‘Anti-Monopoly Law.’ Let's continue discussing the Huatong Business School and the seconded Experts and professors.”

“If that's the case, then I have a proposal. We can use the resources from the penalties to establish a new academy in the name of the Council. This way, not only can some high-end talents be accommodated, but if the Huatong Chamber of Commerce has needs, we can completely take the path of targeted commissioned training. As long as they are willing to spend resources, wouldn't it be the same effect if we cultivate them?” proposed Shang Yangping, the Director of the Civil Affairs Department.

“I disagree. Resources are already scarce now. If the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is willing to pay the penalty. This fund can clearly have many more uses, so why establish an academy that is not very useful? As long as we agree to the Chamber of Commerce establishing its own academy, the issue of talent placement can still be resolved, and the Council does not need to invest any funds. Why should we be concerned about who establishes the academy? If the Council needs it later, it won't be too late to set it up then!” said Chen Guanxuan, the Director of the Finance Department.