Google, whose search engine was blocked in China over censorship issues, has made a few other investments in Asian companies such as the cab service provider Go-Jek in Indonesia and the mobile game company Chushou in China. Apart from this, Google also entered into a partnership with French retailer Carrefour SA to facilitate the order and purchase of groceries through smart devices.
Tencent and Walmart have also made investments in JD.com
JD.com, whose main competitor is Alibaba, also has investors in Tencent and Walmart (WMT). The online retailer has made significant investments in technology and logistics and claims to have a high-speed delivery system. JD has been testing drone delivery for rural areas to improve its logistics efforts.
As per an Axios report, 90% of the company’s deliveries in China are made in a single day while 57% are done in 12 hours. JD.com believes the super fast delivery service will prove to be a massive advantage for the company going forward.
The partnership between Google and JD.com comes at a sensitive time amid a brewing trade war between China, and the US. JD.com appears to have put its plans for expansion in the States on hold currently due to the tense situation between both the countries. The company, which was almost written off by a hedge fund manager at APS Asset Management, has managed to survive and is making the right efforts in moving ahead.