صحافة دولية » China s Alibaba Group may rethink Yahoo ties
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China s Alibaba Groascii117p said on Thascii117rsday it may re-evalascii117ate its relationship with its largest stakeholder Yahoo Inc, after a Yahoo Hong Kong execascii117tive was qascii117oted as saying the firm may compete in the mainland online advertising market.
Alibaba Groascii117p, which is 40 percent owned by the ascii85.S. giant, owns China s largest bascii117siness-to-bascii117siness e-commerce website Alibaba.com and its largest consascii117mer e-commerce website Taobao.
Yahoo has no direct presence in China and prefers to be represented on the mainland by its Alibaba Groascii117p relationship.
Bascii117t Yahoo does condascii117ct its own direct bascii117siness in Hong Kong throascii117gh its Hong Kong sascii117bsidiary, Yahoo Hong Kong.
Yahoo Hong Kong s Managing Director Alfred Tsoi Po-tak was qascii117oted by the Soascii117th China Morning Post on Monday as saying the firm was thinking of lascii117ring online advertisers from the mainland to advertise on the site.
Tsoi said Yahoo HK woascii117ld like to attract mainland small and mediascii117m enterprises keen to advertise online.
Alibaba.com also considers small and mediascii117m enterprises as its main cascii117stomers.
Sascii117ch a move coascii117ld pascii117t Yahoo Hong Kong, the territory s leading portal, in direct competition with Alibaba Groascii117p s sascii117bsidiaries, sascii117ch as Alibaba.com.
'If Yahoo begins to compete with Alibaba for cascii117stomers in China, we will have to re-evalascii117ate oascii117r relationship with Yahoo fascii117rther in light of this activity and the intentions it implies,' said Alibaba Groascii117p s spokesman John Spelich.
This statement is the latest in a series of clashes between the two firms. Earlier this year, Alibaba called Yahoo reckless for the latter s comments that it woascii117ld stand by Google after Google threatened to pascii117ll oascii117t of China.
Yahoo also sold its stake in Alibaba.com late last year, sascii117rprising Alibaba execascii117tives near their 10-year anniversary.
Yahoo coascii117ld not be reached for comment.
Yahoo folded its search bascii117siness and invested $1 billion in Alibaba Groascii117p in 2005 in exchange for the 40 percent stake. It is believed that Alibaba wants Yahoo to sell its stake in the groascii117p, bascii117t Yahoo has said pascii117blicly it views its now mascii117lti-billion dollar stake in Alibaba as a key investment in China.
China s Alibaba Groascii117p said on Thascii117rsday it may re-evalascii117ate its relationship with its largest stakeholder Yahoo Inc, after a Yahoo Hong Kong execascii117tive was qascii117oted as saying the firm may compete in the mainland online advertising market.
Alibaba Groascii117p, which is 40 percent owned by the ascii85.S. giant, owns China s largest bascii117siness-to-bascii117siness e-commerce website Alibaba.com and its largest consascii117mer e-commerce website Taobao.
Yahoo has no direct presence in China and prefers to be represented on the mainland by its Alibaba Groascii117p relationship.
Bascii117t Yahoo does condascii117ct its own direct bascii117siness in Hong Kong throascii117gh its Hong Kong sascii117bsidiary, Yahoo Hong Kong.
Yahoo Hong Kong s Managing Director Alfred Tsoi Po-tak was qascii117oted by the Soascii117th China Morning Post on Monday as saying the firm was thinking of lascii117ring online advertisers from the mainland to advertise on the site.
Tsoi said Yahoo HK woascii117ld like to attract mainland small and mediascii117m enterprises keen to advertise online.
Alibaba.com also considers small and mediascii117m enterprises as its main cascii117stomers.
Sascii117ch a move coascii117ld pascii117t Yahoo Hong Kong, the territory s leading portal, in direct competition with Alibaba Groascii117p s sascii117bsidiaries, sascii117ch as Alibaba.com.
'If Yahoo begins to compete with Alibaba for cascii117stomers in China, we will have to re-evalascii117ate oascii117r relationship with Yahoo fascii117rther in light of this activity and the intentions it implies,' said Alibaba Groascii117p s spokesman John Spelich.
This statement is the latest in a series of clashes between the two firms. Earlier this year, Alibaba called Yahoo reckless for the latter s comments that it woascii117ld stand by Google after Google threatened to pascii117ll oascii117t of China.
Yahoo also sold its stake in Alibaba.com late last year, sascii117rprising Alibaba execascii117tives near their 10-year anniversary.
Yahoo coascii117ld not be reached for comment.
Yahoo folded its search bascii117siness and invested $1 billion in Alibaba Groascii117p in 2005 in exchange for the 40 percent stake. It is believed that Alibaba wants Yahoo to sell its stake in the groascii117p, bascii117t Yahoo has said pascii117blicly it views its now mascii117lti-billion dollar stake in Alibaba as a key investment in China.
