JD.com files complaint against Alibaba for 'disrupting market order'

Working staff distribute packs in an express company in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Nov 12, 2012. The annual Single's Day which falls on Nov 11 has become a shopping festival under a continuous sales promotion of e-commerce groups. [Photo/Xinhua]

JD.com Inc, China's second-largest e-commerce site, filed a complaint to industry authority claiming that its rival Alibaba Group Holding Ltd was "disrupting the market order".

In a complaint filed on Tuesday to the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the Beijing-based company said Alibaba told retailers to pick a side during the upcoming Singles' Day, China's largest online shopping festival, which falls on next Wednesday.

"Alibaba conveyed a message to retailers that if they participated in its Tmall's promotion campaign on the Singles Day, they will not allowed to attend similar events held by rival sites," JD said in a statement.

Alibaba threatened to direct less traffic to retailers who were unwilling to follow its demands, JD claimed, adding "such behavior poses barriers to market competition and severely undermines consumers' interests."

In response, Alibaba said late Tuesday that let consumers decide which platforms they are willing to choose. "Market-related problems should resort to the market for solution. We will continue offering consumers quality products at lower prices," Alibaba said.

The State Administration of Industry and Commerce was not immediately available for comment.

The dispute comes as the country's e-commerce sites intensify efforts to vie for retail partners for the upcoming Singles' Day, when millions of consumers flood to websites for bargain shopping.