China Boosts Government Presence At Alibaba, Private Giants

An anonymous reader writes: The government of one of China’s top technology hubs is dispatching officials to 100 local corporations including e-commerce giantAlibaba, the latest effort to exert greater influence over the country’smassive private sector. Hangzhou, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, is assigning government affairs representatives to facilitate communication and expedite projects, the city government said on itswebsite. Chinese beverage giantHangzhou Wahaha.and automakerZhejiang Geely.are among the other companies based in the prosperous region that have been singled out, according to reports in statemedia.

The Hangzhou government said the initiative was aimed at smoothing work flow between officials and China’s high-tech companies and manufacturers. But the move could be perceived also as an effort to keep tabs on a non state-owned sector that’s gaining clout as a prime driver of the world’s No. 2 economy. Representatives of the country’s public security system are alreadyembeddedwithin China’s largest internet companies, responsible for crime prevention and stamping out false rumors. Government agencies may also be heightening their monitoring of the vast private sector at a time China’s economy is decelerating — raising the prospect of destabiliziing job cuts as enterprises try to protect bottom lines. Alibaba is hosting its annual investors’ conference this week in Hangzhou against the backdrop of a worseningoutlookfor the country.