Belgium: Alibaba Hub Investigation In Liege

Belgian security services are monitoring the activities of Chinese online retail giant Alibaba, whose European logistics center is located in the cargo terminal of Liege airport.

This was reported by the Brussels-based intelligence service VSSE, which clarified that it is working to “identify and counter possible espionage or interference by Chinese organizations, including Alibaba.” According to the intelligence service, the presence of the center in Belgium could create a problem due to legislation that requires Chinese companies to share data with the authorities and intelligence services in Beijing.

Alibaba’s logistics department Cainiao (which just applied to join the list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as part of the e-commerce giant’s demerger) said it “categorically denies the allegations based on protracted assumptions. Cainiao complies with all laws and regulations under which it operates.” The statement further states: “Data security and privacy protection are fundamental to our business. We comply with all laws and regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation GDPR.” It is data collection that is at the center of investigations: Belgium fears that China may use them for non-commercial purposes.

The presence of Caniaio/Alibaba in Liege is the result of an agreement with the Belgian authorities concluded back in 2018. It brought investments in the amount of 100 million euros to this European country. Liege is one of the two most important e-commerce centers at a global level, a crucial hub, in this case ensuring fast delivery of goods purchased on the Aliexpress portal to 60 percent of the EU population.