In addition, the government of Belgium and Alibaba will work closely together to introduce new technologies that will promote the digitization of customs procedures and the more efficient clearance of goods, which will be crucial for global trade, in particular for SMEs. Alibaba and Belgium's trade and investment agencies will also collaborate to increase the sales of quality Belgian products on e-commerce platforms within Alibaba's ecosystem. This will include product promotions, marketing and direct imports by Alibaba's platforms. Alibaba will also work closely with the Belgian government to promote Belgium as an attractive destination for Chinese tourists. Over the past two years, the eWTP has become an exceedingly marketable concept for Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma, who pitched the idea for the first time at the 2016 Boao Forum for Asia. The world e-commerce platform has already set up subsidiaries in Malaysia and Rwanda. This latest MoU with Belgium will sow the seeds for the eWTP's speedy entry into new European markets. |