Take that, Amazon.
Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has begun testing drones for one-hour deliveries in several cities across China as part of a three-day-long promotional campaign that follows in the footsteps of U.S. companies like Amazon and Google.
The limited test was announced with a video on Taobao, one of Alibaba's shopping platforms, which showed a drone quickly delivering a package of tea supplies to a woman who apparently really needed tea urgently.
"Taobao is partnering with YTO Express for this drone delivery service project," a rep for Alibaba told Mashable in a statement. "This one-off campaign is an effort to bring unique and innovative shopping experiences to consumers on Alibaba’s e-commerce ecosystem."
Like Amazon, Alibaba would have to contend with regulations if it wanted to truly roll out a broader drone delivery system. A spokesperson for Alibaba told CNBC it did follow regulations for its test phase, and that there were "no further plans" for drone deliveries.