Chinese online retailing major Alibaba Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) to help traders sell their products in China.
The strategic partnership will also help businesses in New Zealand to improve the growth of their brands in China.
The agreement is expected to boost trade opportunities for New Zealand companies looking to foary into the vast Chinese market, by capitalizing on Alibaba's services and platforms.
The alliance between Alibaba and NZTE, a New Zealand Government's international business development agency, is a major step in enhancing the cooperation to promote trade and online commerce between China and New Zealand.
Both the parties will work to identify collaborative opportunities, where the New Zealand companies seeking to enter Chinese consumer market can get the support of Alibaba, through its various e-commerce channels.
On the other hand, NZTE will help local companies to understand and optimize the opportunities Alibaba's ecosystem offers in terms of business growth in China.
Alibaba Australia and New Zealand managing director Maggie Zhou said: "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."
NZTE CEO Peter Chrisp 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."
The wider ecosystem of Alibaba will provide New Zealand firms with a range of services to help explore business opportunities in China through its ecommerce platforms.
These services will help merchants to sell through retail (B2C) or wholesale (B2B) platforms in China, thereby cross-promoting tourism between China and New Zealand as well as providing seamless payment solutions to customers and merchants alike.
NTZE will collaborate with New Zealand companies to promote local specialties and fresh produce in China.
