Alibaba launches e-trading hub in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur: Alibaba launched an electronic trading hub in Malaysia on Friday aimed at helping small- and medium-sized businesses, a first for the Chinese internet giant outside its home country.

The hub, part of a "digital free trade zone" near Kuala Lumpur International Airport, went live during a ceremony attended by Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

It was the latest move by Alibaba into Southeast Asia, one of the world´s hottest e-commerce battlegrounds. The company has already built up a substantial stake in regional online retailer Lazada.

The trading hub offers Malaysian businesses help in areas including e-commerce, logistics and cloud computing, as well as in exporting their goods. The broader digital free trade zone, spearheaded by a Malaysian government agency, aims to help local firms sell their products more easily globally, and to make Malaysia the gateway for products entering Southeast Asia from outside the region.