One of the restrictions on short-selling is the "uptick rule" - you can only sell a stock short if the last tick (transaction) was higher than the one before -

One of the restrictions on short-selling is the "uptick rule" - you can only sell a stock short if the last tick (transaction) was higher than the one before - i.e. if the stock was going up (at least momentarily). It's used in Western markets as well, AFAIK. Personally, I think it makes a lot of sense, because it prevents you from short-selling during a crash, exacerbating the panic. The reality is, markets rarely panic upwards, but quite often panic downwards.