Airbnb's China Expansion Signals Rapid Growth in Home-Sharing

(Beijing) —Airbnb Inc., the accommodation-sharing business leader, is gearing up for an expansion in China, one of the world's fastest-growing travel markets, even as it fights hostile regulators at home in the U.S.

The San Francisco-based company, which operates an online platform for linking homeowners with travelers for short-term rentals, announced major changes to its Chinese operations in late October. They included creation of a new business entity, Airbnb China, to handle China-based bookings and listings beginning Dec. 7.