---- Chen Chi, CEO von Chinesisch online Home - Vermietung site Xiaozhu, spricht bei einem Gipfel in Shanghai, China, 16. September 2016. Airbnb Inc. ist in der Diskus
--FILE--Chen Chi, CEO of Chinese online home-rental site Xiaozhu, speaks at a summit in Shanghai, China, 16 September 2016. Airbnb Inc. is in discussions to buy home-sharing site Xiaozhu.com, one of its largest competitors in China, according to a person familiar with the matter. A deal would give the San Francisco startup a rapid boost in its effort to expand in the world¯s most populous country. Further details about the discussionªincluding the price Airbnb would payªcouldn¯t be learned. Thus far, Airbnb has had a relatively small presence in China, with a staff of just 30 in the country, limited marketing and just 75, 000 home listings, a tiny slice of the company¯s roughly 3 million global listings. Xiaozhu launched in 2011 with a similar online home-rental model to Airbnb. Based in Beijing, it has listings in cities across China, and its users are heavily tilted toward the domestic-travel market. More so than travelers in many other countries, Chinese domestic guests typically prefer to rent the entire apartment rather than share an apartment with a host.