Yang Li
Uber announced on its official Weibo account today that the company will gradually open its application programming interface(API) to Chinese software developers.
The company said that its first batch of partners include Baidu, QiongYou Network and Raven Science and Technology. Baidu has officially confirmed it.
Uber is currently the second largest car-hailing service in China. The company has said that movie, hotel and catering businesses are also related to the traveling and car-hailing business.
Having API access is important for sharing resources between applications. The new move will allow Uber to attract business partners in differentiated sectors. Uber will gradually build its ecosystem in China and provide seamless connectivity for its mobile experience, it said.
Last August, Uber opened its API to software developers in the U.S., and engaged the interest of apps, United Airlines,TripAdvisor and OpenTable.
China has become Uber’s largest market outside the U.S. merely after a year when it entered the Chinese market. It currently operates in 17 Chinese cities.
(Edited by Rohan Malhotra)