Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Ropes & Gray have scored key advisory roles in the merger of the top two travel booking sites in China, Ctrip.com and Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd.

The deal also involves Baidu Inc., the internet giant in China which controls Qunar. Under the share-swap plan, Ctrip would take 45 percent stake in Qunar from Baidu. Ctrip would then issue new shares to Baidu representing about 25 percent stake.  

Ctrip and Qunar will combine services and product following the merger, and would control 70 to 80 percent of the hotel and air ticket markets.

A Skadden team led by partners Julie Gao, Haiping Li, Michael Gisser and Daniel Dusek is advising Ctrip on the transaction.

Paul Weiss represents Baidu, led by Beijing based partner Greg Liu. Han Kun Law Offices is handling matters concerning Chinese laws, headed by partners Li Chaoying, Zhou Yin and Ma Chen.

Ropes & Gray's Hong Kong partners Paul Boltz and Jim Lidbury are advising Qunar.

Big tech players in China are increasingly seeking tie-ups, as the market sees fierce competition between rival companies crimping profits, and more cool-headed investors balking at investing.

Earlier this month, Meituan.com and Dianping Holdings - which provide online reviews and deals for restaurants and retail and leisure businesses - said they would merge after being fierce rivals for years. Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, two leading taxi-hailing firms, combined in a share swap worth $6 billion earlier this year.

JPMorgan advised Ctrip on the deal. Baidu was advised by Williams Capital Advisors, LLC.