Uber CEO Travis Kalanick visits China in wake of office raids in Guangzhou and Chengdu
US car hailing service Uber’s founder Travis Kalanick is looking to mend fences with China in a recent visit, promising to work with authorities to make sure its services operate legally in the wake of raids by authorities on some of its offices.
In an interview with the Shanghai Morning Post this week, Kalanick said Uber hopes to gain support from local governments and to cooperate to make a positive impact on local economies.
“Uber will try to learn the local laws and bylaws to make sure its service is legal in China,” he told the paper.
Uber has faced a string of legal obstacles in countries around the world, including India, Spain, and Thailand, with governments and taxi companies protesting against it, saying that its service is based on unlicensed drivers and is unsafe and illegal.
Uber now covers nine Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chongqing. Globally, by May Uber was available in 58 countries and 300 cities. It is estimated that it will generate US$10 billion in revenue this year.
In February, Didi and Kuaidi, backed by internet rivals Tencent and Alibaba, announced they would merge, a move that was seen as a response to the success of Uber in China.
Kalanick told the Shanghai Morning Post that Uber would learn how to partner local governments to provide advanced services in Chinese cities, and he will meet Chinese enterprises and local governments to talk about cooperation during his visit.
Kalanick told the paper that Uber is interested in using big data to promote urban economies, which fits the agenda of the Guiyang International Big Data Expo.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in a letter to the Expo organisers that big data is the foundation of resources and core of productivity.
In March he announced his Internet Plus policy that is aimed at creating an e-economy in China.
