Experts Split on Whether Merger of Taxi App Firms Breaks Law

(Beijing) – Experts are divided over whether the merger of two major taxi-hailing app companies violates the country's Anti-Monopoly Law.

Didi Dache and Kuaidi Kuaidi Dache said on February 14 they will merge into new company led by co-CEOs. The new firm's name and ownership structure will be announced later.

Kuaidi, which is backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., had 56.5 percent of the country's market for taxi-hailing apps as of December, the research consultancy Analysys International said. Didi, which gets support from Internet heavyweight Tencent Holdings Ltd., had 43.3 percent.