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| Alibaba hires US lobbying firm to help with Yahoo bid | Alibaba hires US lobbying firm to help with Yahoo bid |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| China's Alibaba Group has hired a US lobbying firm, fuelling further speculation that it is preparing a bid for Yahoo. | China's Alibaba Group has hired a US lobbying firm, fuelling further speculation that it is preparing a bid for Yahoo. |
| It has hired Duberstein Group, a firm headed by former White House chief of staff, Kenneth Duberstein. | It has hired Duberstein Group, a firm headed by former White House chief of staff, Kenneth Duberstein. |
| In October, Alibaba's founder Jack Ma said he was willing to buy Yahoo and there have been recent reports linking the firm to such a move. | In October, Alibaba's founder Jack Ma said he was willing to buy Yahoo and there have been recent reports linking the firm to such a move. |
| There have been fears that any deal may face political opposition in the US. | There have been fears that any deal may face political opposition in the US. |
| The Duberstein Group filed a declaration about it being hired by the Alibaba Group with the US Senate on 23 December. | |
| Over-cautious? | |
| Chinese technology companies such as Huawei have faced political opposition over moves to acquire firms in the US. | |
| However, analysts said that while national security was cited as a reason to block moves by Huawei, it may not be the same for Alibaba. | |
| They said that ultimately it is the users' call whether or not to subscribe to a website's services and continue using it. | |
| "I don't think there should be a big concern. Users may share or keep as much data as they like," said Mark Natkin of Beijing-based consultancy Marbridge Consulting. | |
| "If they subscribe to Yahoo and [they know] Yahoo is owned by a Chinese company, they are going to have to make the decision themselves," he added. |