China's Alibaba to offer $144 million in subsidies as shopping suffers
Alibaba’s announcement, made in a social media post on Thursday, comes as the e-commerce giant wrestles with depressed consumer spending in China

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Alibaba Group is seen during Alibaba Group's 11.11 Singles' Day global shopping festival at the company's headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
China's Alibaba Group will provide 1 billion yuan ($144 million) in spending subsidies for a March online shopping festival to counter the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Alibaba's announcement, made in a social media post on Thursday, comes as the e-commerce giant wrestles with depressed consumer spending in China, which is in a state of semi-quarantine as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.
($1 = 6.9326 Chinese yuan renminbi)