Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has advertised online for a range of jobs in Mexico as it prepares to break into the country, one of rival Uber's regional strongholds.
Didi Chuxing plans this year to launch a smartphone app in Mexico and to recruit drivers to the platform, Reuters reported last month. The expansion underscores Didi’s growing interest in Mexico and, more broadly, Latin America, a market where Uber Technologies Inc doubled down after Didi drove it out of China.
A spokesman for Didi declined to comment. The company is the second-most highly valued, venture-backed private firm in the world, after Uber.
Over the past two weeks, Didi has advertised on LinkedIn for eight jobs based in the Mexico City area, postings on the social network show. The company is hiring for roles in government affairs, public relations, marketing and driver operations, among other fields.
Uber stressed its commitment to Mexico, noting its presence in 43 cities.
“We will continue working toward the future of urban mobility in the republic,” an Uber spokeswoman said in a statement.
Didi has been outspoken about its global ambitions, but the Mexico expansion marks a turning point. The company’s plans had previously been limited to financial commitments to ride-hailing companies in other countries and a research lab in Silicon Valley that opened last year.
It has invested in a variety of Uber rivals around the world. The Chinese firm agreed to acquire control of Brazil’s ride service 99, the companies announced earlier this month.
Didi will likely face regulatory battles in Mexico, just as Uber has. Legislators in the state of Quintana Roo, home to tourist destination Cancun, proposed legislation that would ban cash fares, which Uber views as a critical tool to reach users in emerging markets.
Last month, Uber announced it would halt its service in Cancun as it worked with authorities on the regulation and said it hoped to resume operations early in the year.
In its posting for a government affairs specialist, Didi wrote that responsibilities would include being an advocate for the future of urban mobility “and how Mexico could benefit from new technologies including self-driving cars.”
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
