Beijing has previously taken tough regulatory action on major internet companies over monopoly charges, notably launching an aggressive crackdown on tech and e-commerce giant Alibaba in late 2020.

Authorities have "initiated an investigation into Trip.com Group for suspected abuse of its dominant market position in violation of the Anti-Monopoly Law", the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said in a brief online statement.

The SAMR said it had opened the probe after conducting "preliminary investigations", without providing any additional details.

Trip.com, which operates train, flight and hotel bookings within China and internationally, said in a statement that it would "actively cooperate" with the investigation.

The company will "fully implement regulatory requirements, and work with all industry parties to build a sustainable market environment," the group said in a WeChat post.

It added that all company operations were currently "proceeding normally".