SAMR also ordered Trip.com to refund booking deposits of 122 million yuan that it said the company had withheld from hotel operators. The practices harmed competition and consumers by restricting hotels' ability to operate across platforms and set their own prices, the agency said in a statement on its website.

China's market regulator has fined online travel platform Trip.com Group 5.18 billion yuan ($720 million) for abusing its dominant position in the country's online hotel booking…

The country’s biggest online travel services provider is accused of abusing its ‘dominant market position’.