JD, Shopify to help US merchants sell in China

BEIJING (AP) — JD.com Inc., China’s biggest online retailer, and Canadian e-commerce service Shopify have launched a strategic cooperation to give independent U.S. merchants access to JD.com’s 550 million customers. The companies said the tie-up would allow U.S. brands to start selling in China in three to four weeks compared with up to a year typically required to launch cross-border sales. They said the service will use JD’s network of 1,300 warehouse and 200,000 delivery personnel in China. They said it will provide translation and other support.