AsianFin -- JD.Com founder and chairman Richard Liu on Tuesday assured that the company will not undermine the hospitality industry’s profitability or disrupt its ecosystem through aggressive pricing as it expands into hotel and tourism services.

Speaking at a company event, Liu emphasized that JD.Com has no intention of dragging the sector into a price war. “We don't want to force practitioners to further lower service prices and choose between e-commerce platforms,” he said. “Once profit margins are squeezed, the entire industry ecosystem will be damaged.”

Instead, JD.Com plans to introduce a new hotel development model before the end of the year aimed at fostering sustainable growth across the sector. The company intends to leverage its extensive supply chain expertise to streamline operations for hotel and catering businesses, which Liu described as “disorganized and costly.”

“All JD businesses revolve around the supply chain,” Liu noted, adding that the company seeks to offer high-quality supply chain services tailored for hotels, optimize operational expenses, and help reduce costs across the hospitality industry.