Chinese tech giant Alibaba is being investigated by regulators over monopolistic practices.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) made the announcement on Thursday.

Regulators have previously warned Alibaba about forcing merchants to sign exclusive deals which prevent them from offering products on rival platforms.

Alibaba being investigated by China over monopoly tactics https://t.co/VryD87uIZY

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Financial regulators will also meet with Alibaba's financial technology offshoot Ant Group in the coming days.

The investigation into monopolistic behaviour centres on the so-called "choosing one from two" practice.

This requires merchants (sellers) to sign exclusive co-operation pacts, preventing them from offering products on rival platforms

China's tech giants such as Alibaba and Tencent are facing increased scrutiny by the Chinese government, which is concerned about their growing size and power.

Regulators are worried about the millions of users they have amassed and the influence they have over daily life in China, including shopping and payments.

Alibaba, founded by the flamboyant Jack Ma, has already felt the wrath of regulators from a coordinated crackdown.

Last month, the Ant Group, which was previously called Alipay, was forced to halt its stock market listing, which would have been the world's biggest launch.

Regulators made the decision to block the IPO just days before the launch, after raising concerns about its micro-lending services.

But many believe the real reason behind the decision was a talk Mr Ma gave in late October that was critical of China's regulators and banking system.

The billionaire said Chinese banks operated with a "pawnshop" mentality, and some feel he is paying the price now for those comments.

Since then, tough new antitrust rules have also been introduced across the tech sector and have triggered a decline of about $140bn (£103bn), or 17%, in the market value of Mr Ma's Alibaba.