Uber-Didi Deal in Muddy Waters Despite Latest Industry Rules

(Beijing) – The nascent online car-booking industry in China went through a watershed moment, first with the government opting to legalize it on July 28, and two titans – Did and Uber – announcing plans to join forces a few days later.

Experts say rules that lifted a cloud of regulatory uncertainty hanging over the industry would also serve as a benchmark for anti-trust regulators probing the US$ 35 million deal announced August 1, between Didi Chuxing Technology Co., the country's largest online car-hailing app by orders, and the Chinese arm of global heavyweight Uber Technologies Inc.