BEIJING, April 11 (Reuters) - China's e-commerce giant

JD.com ( JD ) said on Friday it will launch a 200 billion

yuan ($27.35 billion) fund to help the country's exporters sell

their products domestically over the next year, as a U.S.-China

trade war intensifies.

Beijing increased its tariffs on U.S. imports on Friday to

125%, hitting back against U.S. President Donald Trump's

decision to hike duties on Chinese goods to 145%.

JD.com ( JD ) said in a statement that it would send its employees

to Chinese companies involved in foreign trade, directly

purchase their "high-quality products" and set up a special area

on its e-commerce platform to sell these products and direct

traffic and marketing support to this area.

Separately on Friday, supermarket chain Freshippo, owned by

JD.com ( JD ) rival Alibaba ( BABA ) and known as Hema in Chinese,

said it had opened a fast-track path for export companies to

explore the domestic market.

The support programmes for Chinese exporters could help them

re-coup some of their losses stemming from reduced sales

overseas by quickly starting or increasing domestic sales,

although they will face intense competition in a slowing

economy.

Like JD.com ( JD ), Freshippo will set up a special zone on its

platform where only products from these companies will be sold.

It said it will also make it easier for exporters to get on its

platform by simplifying registration procedures and would allow

these exporters to make use of the company's warehouse network.

($1 = 7.3045 Chinese yuan renminbi)