The New Zealand government has signed a partnership agreement with e-commerce giant, Alibaba, to strengthen the trade relationship between the two countries. The government is also hoping the move will support the growth of New Zealand products in China.
The New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the government’s international business development agency, signed a memorandum of understanding with Alibaba to boost trade opportunities for New Zealand businesses who want to enter the Chinese consumer market by leveraging services and platforms offered by Alibaba.
The NZTE will also assist local companies to understand and optimise the opportunities Alibaba’s e-commerce channels offer in terms of business growth in China.
New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, and Alibaba Group’s founder and executive chair, Jack Ma, were present during the signing.
“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. Zhou 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,” Zhou said.
The partnership is a significant step in establishing a closer co-operation to promote trade and online commerce between the two nations.
“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,” said NZTE chief executive Peter Chrisp.
“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,” Chrisp said.
Alibaba will offer New Zealand businesses a range of services to help merchants sell into China through retail (B2C) or wholesale (B2B) platforms, cross-promote tourism between China and New Zealand, and provide seamless payments.
These services include Tmall, China’s largest third-party B2C platform for brands and retailers; Tmall Global, an extension of Tmall’s B2C business for imports; Tmall Fresh Food, dedicated to fresh foods from around the world; Alibaba.com, China’s largest global online B2B wholesale platform; 1688.com, an online B2B wholesale marketplace; Alitrip, an online travel service platform; and Alipay, an online and mobile payment service.
To honour the new partnership, Alitrip, Tmall.com, and Tmall Global will host a New Zealand campaign that showcases honey, cosmetics and personal-care products from New Zealand.
