[Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, says the government works on the establishment of e-commerce law at a press conference on March 9th, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]]

China's market regulator says the government will strictly regulate online commerce. 

Zhang Mao, head of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, made the remark today on the sidelines of the national legislature annual session.

"We will step up regulations and try to push forward the establishment of E-commerce Law. Second, we will improve supervision. The SAIC will communicate with e-commerce and ICT firms in a better way, listen to them and provide guidance for them, and demand self-discipline from them. Third, The Internet is definitely not a lawless haven, so E-commerce platforms have to take responsibility for managing risk," said Zhang, adding that e-commerce platforms should perform in line with the law and try to work on promoting credibility and integrity.

Zhang also underlined that government regulators should take more measures on protecting the legitimate rights of online shoppers.

Alibaba and the SAIC were engaged in an unusually public dispute in late January over the sale of fake goods through Taobao.

The official says China will continue to reform its business system to ease government regulations for companies and inject vitality into the market.

According to Zhang, this year China will further simplify the process for entrepreneurs to register or nullify their businesses, and give companies more decision-making power over their business plans.

Zhang also highlighted the role of small and micro businesses, adding that individual businesses and private companies nationwide currently are offering jobs for 250 million people.