Didi Chuxing eyes global growth as next step after Uber China merger

China’s Didi Chuxing is planning to expand into global markets outside of China and could potentially partner with local ride-sharing players overseas, according to an executive.

Jean Liu, president of Didi Chuxing, said at a US technology conference on Tuesday that Didi “aspire[s] to be a global company”, adding that it is evaluating new international markets and could work with or even compete against local players.

She also said that Didi may directly compete in markets where there are no strong local ride-sharing companies.

Liu’s comments represent a shift in strategy. Prior to merging with Uber China in August, the company was largely focused gaining a larger share of its domestic market and competed fiercely with Uber China.

In an effort to combat Uber’s global expansion, Didi also formed an alliance with other local ride-sharing companies in different regions. The alliance partners included Southeast Asia’s Grab, India’s Ola as well as Uber’s main US rival Lyft, in which all members agreed to share technology, local knowledge and business resources. Didi also poured US$100 million into Lyft, and invested in Grab and Ola.

In April, Didi and Lyft launched a cross-platform service in the US, allowing Didi users to hail a Lyft ride in the US through the Didi app.