Uber partners with China's Alipay

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] said it signed up with online payment platform Alipay to allow Chinese travelers to request and pay for rides using the Alipay app in the over 400 cities the ride-hailing service operates in. Alipay is the online payment platform of Ant Financial Services Group, an affiliate of China's biggest e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The partnership will allow Chinese travelers to pay for their international rides in yuan using their Alipay accounts, eliminating the need for dual currency credit cards or currency conversions, Uber said. Uber riders have been able to use Alipay to pay for their rides in mainland China since 2014, and Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau since early 2016, Uber said. Uber is locked in a battle with Didi Kuaidi to gain market share in China. Didi Kuaidi has also taken stakes in ride-hailing apps GrabTaxi in Southeast Asia and Ola in India, where each also competes with Uber. (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)