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By Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) – U.S.-based hotel chain Marriott International Inc and Alibaba Group’s online travel booking platform announced a tie-up on Monday, joining a flurry of rivals expanding their presence in China to cater to the country’s growing upper-middle class. China’s economy is forecast to slow to roughly 6.5 percent growth in coming years, but companies such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd promise direct access to the country’s middle class and what Marriott Asia Pacific head Craig Smith is calling a “land grab” for Chinese travellers.