China’s Merger Review Simplified Cases Cut to 18.6 Days

The headline number matters less than the procedural shift it reflects: simplified review has become the default lane for the vast majority of unconditionally cleared deals, with the average timeline roughly halved over the period. For cross-border dealmakers, that predictability is the real signal, since merger timelines are often a bigger constraint on transactions than substantive antitrust risk. The open question is whether the simplified track keeps absorbing more of the caseload without a corresponding rise in cases pulled back for deeper review.