HONG KONG -- Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and other Chinese internet companies face growing regulatory scrutiny over one of the country's hottest e-commerce battlegrounds -- the attempt to digitize fresh produce sales through so-called community group-buying.
The practice, in which neighbors purchase groceries and fresh produce in bulk at discounted prices through a leader recruited by internet platforms, became popular during the coronavirus pandemic, as people avoided going out.
