Alibaba to speed up construction at latest phase of its global headquarters in Hangzhou amid more support from local government

The new phase in the city’s Yuhang district is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2023

It will also form the centrepiece of the local development project called Hangzhou Future Science Town

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A rendering by architectural firm Aedas of Alibaba Group Holding’s headquarters expansion in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:00pm, 9 Feb 2023

Alibaba Group Holding will speed up construction at the latest phase of its global headquarters in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, after the e-commerce giant signed a fresh cooperation pact with local authorities on Wednesday.

The expansion, which marks a sign of commitment for Alibaba in its home province, is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2023, according to a report by local newspaper Hangzhou Daily. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Daniel Zhang Yong, Alibaba’s chairman and chief executive, said at the signing ceremony that the firm will continue investing in Hangzhou and other parts of the country, as it strives to be “an internationally competitive Chinese company”, according to the report.

Alibaba’s Xixi campus, also in the Yuhang district, already serves as the workplace for more than 50,000 company employees. The firm is also building the head office for its smart logistics arm Cainiao and the Alibaba Damo Academy, a global research programme in cutting-edge technologies.

Alibaba Group Holding’s 150,000-square metre headquarters in the Binjiang district of Hangzhou, capital of eastern Zhejiang province, was designed by architectural firm Hassell and completed in 2009. Photo: Handout

The latest expansion of Alibaba’s network of offices in Hangzhou will form the centrepiece of an ambitious local development project called Hangzhou Future Science Town, which occupies an area that is larger than Hong Kong Island, to woo more hi-tech enterprises to the city.