China media: Alibaba's public share sale

Alibaba is a dominant force in China's e-commerce market

Media give mixed reactions to Chinese internet giant Alibaba's decision to go for a public share sale in the US.

Alibaba has filed documents for the sale, which is widely expected to be one of the biggest in history.

Founded 15 years ago by Jack Ma, the firm has been a dominant force in e-commerce in China and is now the biggest online retailer in the country.

The Global Times' Chinese edition notes that analysts have "mixed feelings" about the listing, with some describing it as "a piece of investment fat meat falling on the plate of the Americans and Westerners".

However, the daily says that Alibaba is a Chinese company and its success will show the world "the magnitude and openness of the Chinese economy".

The Yangtse Evening News reprints a People's Daily article that sees Alibaba's move as "an embarrassment".

"Alibaba is one of the fast-growing companies in China, yet it went such a great distance to be listed in the US. This is an embarrassment to China's capital market," it says, noting that the company had to seek foreign investments after failing to gain initial support from local investors.

The Beijing Youth Daily comments that by listing in the US market, Alibaba will have a "higher success rate" to transform itself from a "Chinese e-commerce giant" to an "international e-commerce giant".

Games question

Meanwhile, media continue to criticise the Philippines and Vietnam over territorial disputes as South East Asian nations head to Myanmar, also known as Burma, for an Asean Summit.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan all have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea.

Tensions have escalated in recent days. The Philippines detained 11 Chinese fishermen in disputed waters on Wednesday, prompting a protest from China. Vietnamese and Chinese ships also collided in disputed waters as China tried to bring in an oil drilling rig.

The Global Times Chinese edition notes some Philippine media outlets report that President Benigno Aquino may bring up the disputes during the summit over the weekend.

However, the daily quotes an expert as saying that "the South China Sea issue will not dominate discussion as the summit will focus on the construction of an economic community".

"China's economic growth is beneficial to the economic development of the region," Myanmar's presidential spokesman tells the Xinhua News agency.

"Myanmar will need to promote better relationship between Asean and its dialogue countries and all problems should be solved through negotiations and peaceful means," he is quoted as saying.

And finally, media are discussing the possibility of China hosting the 2019 Asian Games after Vietnam's withdrawal last month due to financial difficulties.

Hanoi was chosen in 2012 to host the Games after beating Indonesia's Surabaya. No decision has been taken on a possible replacement, but both Indonesia and India have expressed interest.

"Nanjing has the ability to host it. Since we are going to stage the Youth Olympics, hosting the Asian Games cannot be a problem for us," Yang Weize, Executive President of the Nanjing Youth Olympics Games Organising Committee, said.

His remarks, made during the 100-day countdown to the Youth Olympic Games press conference on Thursday, have led to heated online debates.

The Games committee immediately clarified that the city would not hold any major sporting events, including the Asian Games, in the near future.

"There are probably many other Chinese cities that are able to host such major events. However, it is no longer about capability. Such expensive events will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Officials should discuss the matter with the public and should not be the only party to decide," says Southern Metropolis Daily.

Echoing similar sentiments, the Beijing Times adds that "the interest in hosting sports events has dwindled as China has already achieved better international standing".

"The people are now more 'choosy' over what events to host. Most probably, they will only give strong support to international events such as the Winter Olympics and the World Cup," it says.

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