24/7 Space News
INTERNET SPACE
China's Alibaba launches e-commerce subsidies of $7 bn in consumption boost
China's Alibaba launches e-commerce subsidies of $7 bn in consumption boost
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) July 2, 2025

The online retail platform of Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced Wednesday that it will issue $7 billion in subsidies for certain purchases, providing a much-needed boost for a country struggling with sluggish spending.

Taobao, China's e-commerce champion launched by Alibaba in 2003, said in a WeChat statement that the 50 billion yuan ($6.97 billion) would "directly subsidise consumers and merchants" over a 12-month period starting Wednesday.

The spending incentives on Taobao's "flash purchase" feature will take the form of "red envelopes" -- a digital form of traditional cash gifts -- as well as discounts on products, deliveries and commissions, the statement said.

Taobao said that the subsidies will "provide consumers with preferential and convenient services and experiences, further stimulating consumption vitality".

Beijing is battling to stave off deflationary pressure, which has threatened to dampen economic growth even as challenges elsewhere mount.

A lengthy property sector crisis and a fierce trade war with the United States this year have exacerbated concerns among Chinese households about making major purchases.

Chinese authorities have sought to allay fears, unleashing a series of aggressive policy measures aimed at boosting spending, including key interest rate cuts and various consumer goods trade-in schemes.

Results have been mixed, with retail sales in May growing at the fastest clip year-on-year since December 2023, according to official statistics, even as commercial property prices in a group of 70 key cities fell from April.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged efforts to "advance the building of a unified national market" during a high-level meeting on economic policy, state news agency Xinhua said.

Leaders at the meeting also called for better management of "low-price disorderly competition" among companies.

"As China's economy faces deflation pressures and a weak labour market, the government aims to address these challenges from the supply side," Zhiwei Zhang, President and Chief Economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, wrote in response to Tuesday's meeting.

"The top priority seems to be preventing over-competition," he added.

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
INTERNET SPACE
Google rejects app store age verification for online content
Paris (AFP) June 13, 2025
American tech heavyweight Google on Friday reiterated its opposition to verifying the age of a device's user through the app stores built into operating systems, calling a proposal from Facebook and Instagram parent Meta "ineffective". Limiting access to age-restricted content online is a live issue in Europe, with France battling pornography sites over its newly-introduced requirement that they check users' ages. Paris is also one of several capitals pressing Brussels to introduce Europe-wide r ... read more

INTERNET SPACE
Investments rise in data, AI, outpacing physical assets: UN

Michelin-star chef prepares ISS meals for French astronaut

NASA to live-stream launches, spacewalks on Netflix

Blue Origin launches six tourists on 13th passenger flight

INTERNET SPACE
Electrolyzer experiment from SwRI and UTSA to fly in low gravity test mission

Competing wave patterns may unlock turbulent secrets in hypersonic vehicle design

Gilmour Space again delays launch of Australia's first orbital rocket

NASA prepares sensor breakthrough for upcoming hypersonic rocket flights

INTERNET SPACE
Red, white and blue on the Red Planet

European students complete immersive analog Mars mission in Portugal

Why is there no life on Mars? Rover finds a clue

NASA Mars Orbiter Learns New Moves After Nearly 20 Years in Space

INTERNET SPACE
Chinese Long March Rockets Make International Debut at Paris Air Show

China Shenzhou XX crew advances cognitive and biotech research aboard Tiangong

Chinese rocket delivers e-commerce packages in sea recovery test

China Establishes UN-SPIDER Regional Support Office at Wuhan University

INTERNET SPACE
Rocket Lab clears key design milestone for SDA low Earth orbit constellation

Collaboration aims to protect radio astronomy from satellite signal interference

Kongsberg completes N3X satellite network for maritime surveillance

German space startup secures new funding

INTERNET SPACE
Germany criticises China curbs on rare-earth exports

A New Alloy is Enabling Ultra-Stable Structures Needed for Exoplanet Discovery

Meta's AI talent war raises questions about strategy

Q-Tech expands rad-hardened oscillator line to boost new space platform designs

INTERNET SPACE
Earth-sized planets commonly found around smallest stars reveals CARMENES data

New exoplanet discovery reveals rare gas giant through global citizen science effort

Earth sized planets frequently orbit red dwarf stars study finds

Fish biofluorescence evolved independently over 100 times in evolutionary history

INTERNET SPACE
Unexpected Dust Patterns Found on Uranus Moons Confound Scientists

SwRI study shows Europa's icy surface constantly reshaping

The hunt for mysterious 'Planet Nine' offers up a surprise

Jupiter Was Formerly Twice Its Current Size and Had a Much Stronger Magnetic Field

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.