The publisher of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) has confirmed that it is in talks to sell the popular English-language newspaper.
In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the SCMP Group said it has received a "preliminary approach" from a third party to purchase its media assets, including the newspaper. The BBC understands that Chinese e-ecommerce giant Alibaba is the bidder. But Alibaba has not confirmed that it is interested in buying the newspaper.
Sources said that the Chinese tech giant, led by Jack Ma, was discussing buying the century-old newspaper to expand its business into the media sector. Last month Alibaba, the world's biggest e-commerce company, also offered to buy the Chinese video site Youku Tudou.