China’s JD.com Expands Operations To Russia

Victor Xu, JD's president for international business unit, said during an interview that the company will soon launch a brand in Russia.

According to reports in Russian local media, Xu said JD plans to develop online video stream media services in Russia. He said they are seeking close cooperation with partners to form development opportunities. The company's office in Russia is evolving into an independent subsidiary. Xu revealed that the company may use existing platforms or seek new platforms, and they are still unclear about the best path to take.

JD.com previously sold Chinese-made smart TVs in Russia and the products were popular. Based on this reaction, JD decided to accelerate its expansion in this marketplace.

Xu also revealed that JD's services may cover TV shows from Western countries and Russia. Chinese enterprises have reached many agreements with Hollywood to introduce films into China; and JD will discuss with Western partners for plans to to bring those films into the Russian market.

JD opened its Russian-language website in the summer of 2015. In October 2015, Xu optimistically predicted that the company is expected to eventually gain 60% share of the Russian e-commerce market.