Thailand and Chinese multinational Alibaba entered into a strategic partnership to drive the development of Thailands digital economy and the Eastern Economic Corridor under the Thailand 4.0 policy, as well as developing smart tourism and Thai agricultural exports to China
Under this partnership, agencies of the Thai government and business units of Alibaba will work closely together in a number of areas, including e-commerce, digital logistics, tourism and training and agricultural trade.
“Confident in the promising outlook of the Thai economy, the Thailand 4.0 policy initiative, and the high potential of the EEC development, Alibaba has decided to invest in a Smart Digital Hub in the EEC area. The Smart Digital Hub will be an important platform to link Thai SME and OTOP products and agricultural products to, not only China but also global markets,” said deputy prime minister Dr Somkid Jatusripitak.
“China is on its way to becoming the world's largest consumer, driven by rising income and a growing middle class of 300mn. There is no better time than now for trade-oriented countries to seize this opportunity to export to China as the country continues to open its doors wider for global trade. Quality Thai agricultural products such as fragrant rice, durian and other tropical fruits in particular are sought after by the Chinese consumer,” said Jack Ma, executive chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group.
During the ceremony, Alibaba and the Thai Ministry of Commerce launched the first official Thai rice flagship store on Tmall, the world's largest third-party platform for brands and retailers. In addition, Alibaba also will help drive the sale of popular Thai fruits such as durian into China. Alibaba and the MOC will work together to drive the growth of Thai rice and agricultural product exports, as an area of strength in the Thai economy and strong global position.
