Alibaba makes Beijing a hub

Move expected to help e-commerce giant achieve a stronger foothold in northern areas

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd is making Beijing its second headquarters in China to gain a stronger foothold in the country's northern areas, a move that is expected to heat up competition with its biggest online shopping rival JD.com Inc.

Alibaba, which was founded 16 years ago in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, announced on Thursday its so-called twin-hubs strategy, which makes Beijing its new base to aggressively advance its business development as well as strategy execution in northern regions of the country.