Internet
ò Rakuten Inc. announced that it is planning to launch an online shopping mall in China in 2007. The move is seen as the companyÆs response to its slow growth in Japan and recognition of the strength of the Chinese market. According to iResearch, China's business-to-consumer e-commerce market is estimated to reach Rmb46 billion $5.9 billion in 2010, compared with the limited growth expectations for Japan, which faces the problem of an aging and diminishing population. Earlier, Rakuten had already expressed interest in expanding into the US and Europe. The planned launch into China would see it competing against the likes of Alibaba.com, the country's largest e-commerce company, in which Yahoo Inc....
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