Alibaba Group, the world’s largest online and mobile marketplace, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the New Zealand Government’s international business development agency, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize discussions for strengthening trade between China and New Zealand and support the growth of New Zealand brands in China.
The signing ceremony of the MOU was witnessed by Prime Minister John Key, and Alibaba Group’s Founder and Executive Chairman, Jack Ma. The cooperation between Alibaba and NZTE will foster greater trade opportunities for New Zealand businesses seeking to enter the vast Chinese consumer market, by leveraging services and platforms offered by Alibaba’s ecosystem.
The MOU aims to broaden Alibaba’s existing partnership with NZTE and is a significant step in establishing a closer cooperation to promote trade and online commerce between China and New Zealand. Under the MOU, the parties will explore different collaboration opportunities, including Alibaba providing support for New Zealand companies to enter the Chinese consumer market through its various e-commerce channels, while NZTE will assist local companies to understand and optimize the opportunities Alibaba’s ecosystem offers in terms of business growth in China.
“We are excited to extend our cooperation with the New Zealand Government by collaborating with NZTE to support local businesses to enter China through Alibaba’s platforms,” said Maggie Zhou, the newly appointed Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, who also represented Alibaba at the MOU signing ceremony. “With our strong networks in China and expertise in e-commerce, we will enable Chinese consumers to benefit from the premium products and fresh foods that New Zealand businesses can offer.”
Peter Chrisp, Chief Executive of NZTE, said: “New Zealand businesses are already using Alibaba’s channels to sell a wide range of products including dairy, meat, seafood, fruit, wine, beverage, cereal, skincare and health supplements. By providing dedicated services for New Zealand products, this new arrangement offers significant opportunities for New Zealand businesses to reach more consumers as well as advocating New Zealand’s reputation as a place of open spaces, open hearts and open minds.”
Alibaba and its wider ecosystem will offer New Zealand businesses a wide range of services to help cultivate opportunities in China via its major e-commerce platforms. These key services will enable merchants to sell into China through retail (B2C) or wholesale (B2B) platforms, cross-promote tourism between China and New Zealand, and provide seamless payment solutions to both consumers and merchants. These services include:
- Tmall.com (http://www.tmall.com), China’s largest third-party B2C platform for brands and retailers;
- Tmall Global (http://www.tmall.hk), a cross-border solution and an extension of Tmall’s B2C business for overseas imports;
- Tmall Fresh Food (http://miao.tmall.com), a vertical dedicated to fresh foods sourced from around the world;
- Alibaba.com (http://www.alibaba.com), China’s largest global online B2B wholesale platform;
- 1688.com (http://www.1688.com), leading online B2B wholesale marketplace in China;
- Alitrip (http://www.alitrip.com), leading online travel service platform; and
- Alipay (http://www.alipay.com – via its associated companies), secure, trustworthy, and convenient online and mobile payment services.
NZTE will work closely with New Zealand companies to promote local specialties and fresh produce in China. With New Zealand’s reputation for producing exceptional quality fresh food including dairy, meat, seafood, fruit and wine, there are significant opportunities for this sector as Chinese consumers increasingly demand high quality fresh products.
