The Chinese central government has issued a new set of rules concerning the operation of the country’s economically critical Internet platforms, which are set to curb their strategic investments, apply stricter requirements to leveraged finance operations, as well as crack down on exclusive payments processing arrangements. The “Several Opinions Concerning Driving the Standardised, Healthy and Continued Development of Platform Economies” (?????????????????????) were issued on 19 January by nine of China’s top government authorities, including the Chinese central bank, the cyberspace regulator, the market regulator, the National Development and Reform Commission and the central government tax authority. The Opinions outline a…