Alibaba seeks special terms

Group wants to keep partnership system in applying for HK listing

A senior executive of China's e-commerce king Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Tuesday the company will not compromise on its shareholding structure, a key issue that may cost the company's initial public offering dear in 2013.

Zeng Ming, chief strategy officer of Alibaba Group, said the company will insist on keeping its partnership system, a structure which has been declared "critical to the company's success" over the past four years.