Chinese authorities said Saturday that they have fined Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. 18.2 billion yuan ($2.78 billion) for anti-monopoly violations, apparently a record amount ever imposed under China's anti-monopoly laws.

The punishment comes as the leadership of President Xi Jinping has pledged to strengthen measures to curb monopolistic behavior and disorderly capital expansion of major IT companies in the nation.

File photo taken on Nov. 10, 2020, shows Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s headquarters in Hangzhou, China. (Kyodo)

China's market regulator said Alibaba prohibited certain merchants from selling their goods both on its website and on rival platforms, a move called an "exclusive dealing agreement."

The latest fine against Alibaba, a Chinese firm that has grown into one of the world's largest e-commerce businesses, is equivalent to 4 percent of its sales of 455.7 billion yuan in the country in 2019, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Alibaba said it will take social responsibility by enhancing its business operations based on laws and improving its compliance system, while conscientiously accepting the punishment.

Last year, China's central bank, the People's Bank of China, issued a business improvement order against Chinese financial technology company Ant Group, an Alibaba affiliate that runs one of the nation's most popular mobile payment apps called Alipay.

In November, Ant was forced by China's authorities to postpone its stock market debut in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Jack Ma, Alibaba's founder, had criticized the country's financial system.

The Communist government has promised in its economic development goal through 2035 to build a "digital China" and tighten regulations against monopolistic and unfair competition practices.