China's e-commerce giant Alibaba has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) which will create a dedicated promotional channel in China for Australian companies.
In a statement, Austrade said that the agreement will help introduce new Australian brands to Alibaba’s 434 million online shoppers.
Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner in China, Michael Clifton, said: “Online delivery of imported fresh food in China is becoming increasingly viable as a result of improvements in last-mile
cold chain logistics. This partnership also opens the door to future cooperation in some of Australia’s priority industries, such as e-health, financial services, sporting event management and
assisting innovative startup companies.”
Australian companies already have a significant presence on Alibaba’s Tmall Global e-commerce platform. Australia currently ranks fourth in sales volume on Tmall Global, behind the U.S., Japan
and Korea.
The deal with Austrade follows a similar pact earlier this month when Alibaba unveiled a new cooperative agreement with the Canadian government, which will promote trade between Canadian small
and medium sized businesses and Chinese consumers.
Ma takes on new role
The deal also officially launched the Canadian Pavilion on Alibaba’s shopping platform, Tmall Global with more than 30 businesses participating, selling more than 100 products.
Meanwhile, Alibaba's founder and executive chairman, Jack Ma, has been named Special Adviser on youth entrepreneurship and small business to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD).
In his new role, Ma will promote initiatives that give young entrepreneurs and small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a chance to compete internationally, not only in their home
countries.
Nol van Fenema
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