The renewed offer came after the Chinese firm lashed out at Euronet's hostile bids that created "phantom national security arguments" to stymie Ant's merger proposal.

Since the start of the China-US trade friction more than a year ago, Washington has taken many measures, including taking advantage of its edge in high-end chip making, to stymie Chinese high-tech firms, the NDRC said.

Interconnectivity marks a crucial step in antitrust measures, which aim to take on leading companies that stymie innovation and competition through the industry barriers, said Pan Helin, executive dean of the Digital Economy Research Institute at the Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.

The aging trend has triggered discussions about whether China's ballooning senior population will drain public finances, strain the workforce and ultimately stymie economic growth in the coming years.