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Yahoo China today began job cuts that could close some of its new media units, according to RedLine China. The news comes as Alibaba Group, the owner of Yahoo China, announced it would start new search and advertising groups. What's wrong with Yahoo's efforts in those areas? Yahoo China is not a Yahoo subsidiary; Yahoo swapped its Chinese unit for a stake in Alibaba. These cutbacks seem unrelated to Yahoo's pending layoffs — but it's telling that Alibaba thinks it's better off with homegrown efforts than the businesses it inherited from Yahoo.