Alibaba’s electronic trading hub to help small and medium-sized enterprises goes live in Malaysia
Logistics centre and accompanying electronic platform will enable users to clear bureaucratic hurdles and trade across borders
Alibaba founder Jack Ma yesterday offered his ringing endorsement of Malaysia’s ambition to become the leading digital-era Asian logistics base, as the tech giant’s first electronic trading platform outside China opened for business.
The Malaysian electronic world trade platform (eWTP) includes a regional logistics centre near Kuala Lumpur International Airport and an accompanying electronic platform that will enable its users – primarily small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – to conduct cross-border trade without cumbersome bureaucratic hurdles.
The e-hub is the first of its kind outside Alibaba’s home base in Hangzhou. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
“They [Malaysia] have the first move … they have the huge commitment,” Ma said at a press conference after the platform’s launch. “I am sure that the free-trade zone is going to play a very, very important role in this part of the world.”
The event was attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and other senior government ministers.
“Malaysia is the first,” Ma said. “We are going to make it very successful. If the first one fails no one is going to support the second one.”