Staff working on the planned launches have been told that
they face possible redundancy and Didi has stopped hiring in Britain, pulling
the launch plans for at least a year, according to the report.
"We continue to explore additional new markets,
liaising with relevant stakeholders in each and being thoughtful about when to
introduce our services," a Didi spokesman said, without mentioning the
British launch plans.
"As soon as we have any more news on additional new
markets, we look forward to sharing."
Chinese companies have been caught in a pincer with
increasing scrutiny from the United States on one side and a domestic
regulatory crackdown on the country's massive Internet sector.
The move has rattled technology giants in the country and
Didi is under a cyber-security review as China revamps its policy towards
privacy and data security to ensure secure storage of user data.
Didi, which listed its shares in New York in June after
raising US$4.4 billion (S$6 billion) in an initial public offering, is looking
to expand its international business with recent launches in South Africa,
Ecuador and Kazakhstan.