Alibaba extends global electronic trade partnership to Belgium

Alibaba Group Holding has extended its electronic world trade platform (eWTP) initiative to Belgium, the third country brought on board by the e-commerce giant after Malaysia and Rwanda.

New York-listed Alibaba signed a memorandum of agreement with the Belgian government on Wednesday to bring the eWTP, which seeks to lower barriers to global trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to the Western European country with a population of 11.5 million.

“With over 98 per cent of European companies being small to medium businesses, this partnership signifies our initial and expanded effort to enhance inclusive trade opportunities for these businesses in Belgium and across Europe,” Alibaba chief executive Daniel Zhang Yong said in a statement.

As part of that initiative, Alibaba-owned Cainiao Smart Logistics Network signed a contract with Belgium’s Liege Airport to lease a 220,000-square metre site where the Chinese company will build a smart logistics hub. Alibaba estimated the project will entail an initial investment of 75 million euros (US$85.3 million), with the first phase of operations expected to start in 2021.

Zhang said that facility in Belgium opens up huge potential for businesses across the continent to reap the benefits of global cross-border trade, especially into China where there is high demand for European goods.

“The arrival of Cainiao reinforces the competitiveness of our airport,” Liege Airport chief executive Luc Partoune said in the statement. “Several Chinese companies are already here.”