Alibaba Group and the Government of Thailand Enter into Strategic Partnership in Support of Thailand 4.0

PR73156

BANGKOK, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Key initiatives include Smart Digital Hub in the EEC, training of digital

talent and SMEs, smart tourism and Thai agricultural exports to China

Today, at a ceremony witnessed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, His

Excellency Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, China's Ambassador Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary to Thailand, Lyu Jian, and the Executive Chairman of Alibaba

Group, Jack Ma, the Government of Thailand and Alibaba entered into a strategic

partnership to drive the development of Thailand's digital economy and the

Eastern Economic Corridor under the Thailand 4.0 policy. 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.

The partnership represents the strengthening of collaboration between Alibaba

Group and the Thai Government following the signing of a Letter of Intent in

2016 -- a move that kick-started a number of joint efforts to bolster the

capacity of Thai entrepreneurs in gaining access to new markets and taking

advantage of digital innovations.

"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 (One Tambon One

Product) products and agricultural products to, not only China but also global

markets. The strategic cooperation with Alibaba will bring benefits to Thai

SMEs and farmers as well as tourism industry, while pushing forward digital

economic development in Thailand," 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 300 million. 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. "Given Thailand's unique

strengths in people and culture, we are confident of its future and growth

potential under the government's Thailand 4.0 policy. We are committed to being

a long term partner of Thailand to help enable its digital transformation."

Among the numerous areas of cooperation announced today are:

Establishment of a Smart Digital Hub in the EEC to Support Cross-Border Trade

with China and Other Markets

As part of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor ("EEC") initiative covering the

three eastern provinces of Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong, Alibaba's smart

digital logistics business, Cainiao Network, will establish a Smart Digital Hub

in the EEC. The Smart Digital Hub will utilize Alibaba and Cainiao's

world-class data and logistics technologies and processes to optimize the

cross-border flow of goods not only between Thailand and China but also with

other markets. Cainiao will also work closely with the EEC Office and Thai

Customs to promote the digitization of customs processes through technology

such as big data and artificial intelligence and sharing of global best

practices. The Smart Digital Hub will be an open platform enabled to provide

services to all players in Thailand's digital economy.

Groundbreaking for the Smart Digital Hub is expected in 2018, and operations

are expected to commence in 2019.

Equip SMEs with E-Commerce Skills

Alibaba Group is also set to continue its efforts to connect Thai SMEs to

Alibaba's 500 million active users in the Chinese e-commerce market as well as

other global e-commerce opportunities through a partnership between the Thai

Ministry of Industry's Department of Industrial Promotion ("DIP"), the Thai

Ministry of Commerce's Department of International Trade Promotion ("DITP") and

Alibaba Business School -- an accredited university founded by Alibaba Group

and Hangzhou Normal University. Under this training collaboration, SMEs all

across Thailand including SMEs in rural areas and individual entrepreneurs will

have the opportunity to gain e-commerce knowledge and skills to start

e-business and leverage the internet to develop their business online.

Training of Thai Digital Talent

Under the collaboration with DIP and DITP, Alibaba Group also plans to develop

Thai talent for the digital economy era. Alibaba Business School will work

together with both departments to develop and update effective strategies for

talent development in Thailand, while also providing students and academics

from Thailand with opportunities to take part in various academic exchanges and

courses offered by Alibaba Business School in Hangzhou, China. Alibaba Business

School resources and expertise will also be made available to the DIP and DITP

for localization and further use in Thailand.

Establishment of an Official Thai Rice Flagship Store on Tmall

At today's ceremony, Alibaba and the Thai Ministry of Commerce ("MOC") 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. Alibaba will also assist Thai agriculture businesses to

harness the power of Alibaba's unique and unparalleled insights into the

Chinese consumer market.

Cooperation in Smart and Digital Tourism

The Tourism Authority of Thailand ("TAT") and Alibaba's online travel business

and one of China's leading online travel service providers, Fliggy, will also

expand their cooperation to support smart and digital tourism in Thailand.

As an Official Strategic Partner of TAT, Fliggy will work with TAT to offer

smart technological experiences at many facilities and tourist attractions

across Thailand for the convenience of visitors -- ranging from online tour

guides to electronic ticketing systems. Both sides will join forces in shining

the spotlight on Thailand's best and brightest 'hidden gem' tourist attractions

that are off the beaten track for Chinese visitors. In addition, both Fliggy

and Ant Financial, Alibaba Group's affiliate and operator of Alipay, are in

active discussions with various related government agencies to drive a holistic

digital transformation to Thai tourism starting from pre-departure visa and

visa-on-arrival application and payment to post-travel digital service with

tourist tax refund via Alipay system. The strong collaboration between Alibaba

Group and Thai government is expected to help attract more Chinese travelers to

Thailand and increase Thailand's tourism income.

About Ministry of Industry, Royal Thai Government

The Ministry of Industry focuses its missions on the promotion of

entrepreneurs' strength and competitiveness in the global market. In addition,

the ministry aims to improve and develop the industrial ecosystem to facilitate

the transformation towards Industry 4.0 while promote environmentally friendly

production in the industrial sector.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group's mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company

aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its

customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company

that lasts at least 102 years.

Media Contacts

International Cooperation Section  

Department of Industrial Promotion  

+66-2202-4592  

Intercoop.dip@gmail.com

Rico Ngai                             Sovanna Fung

Alibaba Group                         Alibaba Group

+852-9725-9600                        +852-9682-5581

rico.ngai@alibaba-inc.com             sovannafung@alibaba-inc.com

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SOURCE  Alibaba Group