Chinese e-commerce giant JD is set to launch a subsidy campaign worth RMB 10 billion ($1.5 billion) in early March to compete against PDD, according to a Friday report by Chinese media outlet 36Kr. The subsidy program will apply to products sold by both self-operated stores and third-party merchants. JD is currently preparing for the rollout of the scheme. Its competitor PDD’s multi-billion yuan subsidy program, which has been in place for nearly four years, has attracted more user orders from Tmall and JD. Last week, JD Retail’s CEO, Xin Lijun, finally agreed to push the project with an uncapped budget, an internal source told 36Kr. The decision came after Richard Liu, the company’s former CEO, told staff at a year-end meeting in 2022 that JD should refocus on the low-price strategy that helped it rise to prominence. [36Kr, in Chinese]