BEIJING, July 25 (Reuters) - China's market regulator said on Saturday it had fined and confiscated a total ‌of 5.2 billion yuan ($770 million) from Trip.com Group for ‌abusing its dominant position in the domestic online hotel-booking market. The State ‌Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) ⁠confiscated 1.66 billion yuan in illegal gains and imposed a fine of 3.52 billion yuan. SAMR also ordered Trip.com to refund booking deposits of 122 million yuan that it said the company had withheld from hotel operators. China ​began an antitrust investigation in January following complaints ‌that Trip.com had imposed unfair ​terms on hotels ​and manipulated pricing. The penalty comes as Beijing moves to curb unfair competition among internet platforms and excessive price ​competition that authorities ‌say has hurt businesses and fuelled deflationary pressures.