The head of Yahoo!'s main consumer business in China quit yesterday after just 40 days, sparking doubts about the internet giant's strategy in one of its most important markets.

Xie Wen, who joined last month, resigned for "personal reasons", the company said in a brief statement, without giving further details.

He is to remain a consultant to Alibaba.com, the Chinese internet company which owns Yahoo!'s business there.

Under a deal struck last year, Yahoo! paid $1bn (¡ê515m) and handed over control of its business in China in return for a 40pc stake in Alibaba.