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Summary of significant accounting policies- Others (Details) $ in Millions | 12 Months Ended |  |
--- | --- | --- | ---
Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($) shares | Mar. 31, 2017 CNY (¥) | Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($) shares | Mar. 31, 2016 CNY (¥) | Mar. 31, 2015 CNY (¥) | Mar. 31, 2017 CNY (¥) shares | Mar. 31, 2016 CNY (¥) shares
Bank borrowing and unsecured senior notes |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Reduction to current prepayments, receivables and other assets | $ (4,127) |  |  |  |  | ¥ (28,408,000,000) | ¥ (16,542,000,000)
Reduction to non-current prepayments, receivables and other assets | (1,264) |  |  |  |  | (8,703,000,000) | (6,288,000,000)
Reduction to non-current unsecured senior notes | $ (6,665) |  |  |  |  | ¥ (45,876,000,000) | (51,391,000,000)
Statutory reserves |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Percentage of after-tax profit from subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC required to be appropriated to the statutory reserves | 10.00% | 10.00% |  |  |  |  |
Limit of statutory reserve fund as a percentage of registered capital, after which allocations to statutory reserve fund are no longer required | 50.00% | 50.00% |  |  |  |  |
Adjustment | Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Bank borrowing and unsecured senior notes |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Reduction to current prepayments, receivables and other assets |  |  |  |  |  |  | 35,000,000
Reduction to non-current prepayments, receivables and other assets |  |  |  |  |  |  | 170,000,000
Reduction to non-current unsecured senior notes |  |  |  |  |  |  | ¥ 205,000,000
PRC |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Statutory reserves |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Appropriation to statutory reserves |  | ¥ 836,000,000 |  | ¥ 529,000,000 | ¥ 267,000,000 |  |
Appropriation to the enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund |  | ¥ 0 |  | 0 | 0 |  |
Share repurchase for purpose of certain equity investment plans for management |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Treasury shares |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of ordinary shares included in treasury shares account | shares | 20,789,596 |  | 24,393,569 |  |  | 20,789,596 | 24,393,569
Company's share of an equity method investee's investment in the Company |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Treasury shares |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Number of ordinary shares included in treasury shares account | shares | 5,262,306 |  | 0 |  |  | 5,262,306 | 0
Minimum |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Derivatives and hedging |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ratio determining effective hedging relationship | 80.00% | 80.00% |  |  |  |  |
Maximum |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Derivatives and hedging |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ratio determining effective hedging relationship | 125.00% | 125.00% |  |  |  |  |
Interest rate swaps |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Derivatives and hedging |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loss related to the ineffective portion of fair value change of the interest rate swaps designated and qualified as cash flow hedges |  | ¥ 0 |  | 0 | 43,000,000 |  |
Loss recorded in consolidated income statements upon termination of the interest rate swap contracts |  | 0 |  | 0 | ¥ 59,000,000 |  |
Foreign exchange contracts |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Derivatives and hedging |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fair value amount of qualified and designated as hedging instruments | $ 3 |  | $ 40 |  |  | ¥ 20,000,000 | ¥ 257,000,000
Loss recognized in other income, net | $ 5 | ¥ 35,000,000 | $ 46 | ¥ 298,000,000 |  |  |

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