Meituan said it would actively heed the central government’s call to bolster domestic demand and consumption

Chinese food and on-demand delivery giant Meituan is joining a group of Chinese internet giants in launching initiatives to help the country’s tariff-hit export businesses pivot to domestic markets amid escalating trade tensions between China and the US.

Beijing-based Meituan said on Saturday that it would actively heed the central government’s call to bolster domestic demand and consumption, by helping export-oriented businesses set up shop on its platform, according to a statement published on its official WeChat public account.

Beijing and Washington locked horns in a tariff war after the Trump administration slapped tariffs on Chinese goods, as well as those from other countries, in early April, triggering a series of retaliatory measures from Beijing. Both sides have since imposed higher tariffs on imports, taking a toll on China’s export-oriented businesses.

The move comes as Chinese online retail giants including JD.com and Alibaba Group Holding’s Freshippo are rolling out similar initiatives to help tariff-hit businesses expand in local markets. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

On Friday, JD.com pledged to secure at least 200 billion yuan (US$27.47 billion) worth of export goods to be diverted to the domestic market over the next 12 months. The Beijing-based e-commerce giant will dispatch procurement professionals to work with exporters, offering online traffic and subsidy support for them.

“Through our support programme, JD.com will bring [in] more quality and affordable foreign trade goods, aiding in the expansion of domestic consumption,” it said in a statement.

Grocery chain Freshippo is also streamlining the process for exporters to operate on its platform, while setting up special zones where they can market their products.

Chinese e-commerce platforms are not alone in providing help to exporters in pivoting to the domestic market. Offline retailers, including major players such as Yonghui Supermarket and CR Vanguard, are undertaking similar initiatives to help exporters mitigate the impact of the ongoing US-China trade tensions.

Last Friday, the Chinese government increased its levy on US goods to 125 per cent, while the US tariff rate on Chinese goods now stands at 145 per cent, although unspecified exemptions will be applied to certain electronic goods.

Meituan said it had introduced a series of measures to provide support in marketing, operations, delivery and fee exemptions to build an “integrated domestic and foreign trade” ecosystem so that export products will “benefit more local consumers”.