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In an entry posted on its official Weibo
microblog account on Sunday, Yidao Yongche published a picture
featuring the image of a heart connecting its own and Uber's
logos, the date "May 21, 2015", and the phrase in Chinese, "It's
best to be together."
Spokeswoman for Uber in China and Beijing-based Yidao Yongche
declined to comment on the post, nor say whether any
announcement is due on May 21.
A partnership could help the two firms tackle the tough China
car hire market. Both are facing regulatory uncertainty and
fierce competition from deep-pocketed rivals, with Yidao Yongche
lagging much bigger domestic rivals.
In February, Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, who count Chinese
Internet giants Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding
Ltd respectively among their backers, announced a $6 billion
tie-up to create one of the world's largest smartphone-based
transport services.
The merger prompted Yidao Yongche to file an anti-monopoly
violation complaint with regulators, saying the two firms may
have broken Chinese law by subsidizing taxi rides to sell their
service at prices lower than cost in order to push out rivals.
Uber counts Chinese online search firm Baidu Inc, the third of
China's big three Internet firms, as an investor. Nonetheless it
has struggled to navigate tricky local regulations.
Authorities in China probed Uber in Chinese megacity Chongqing
last year, and Guangzhou and Chengdu earlier this month, over
whether its drivers were operating illegally. Some Uber drivers
in Shanghai have told Reuters regulators have recently increased
scrutiny on the sector.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten; Additional reporting by Adam Jourdan
in SHANGHAI; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
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