AUCKLAND - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group's flagship eCommerce Expo kicked off on June 14 for the first time in New Zealand, focused on helping local businesses tap into the e-commerce-enabled Chinese economy.

Ruan Ping, Chinese Consul General in Auckland, expressed optimism about China-New Zealand's cooperation in cross-border e-commerce. "China and New Zealand have strong economic complementarities and China has been New Zealand's largest trading partner for many years," Ruan said at the expo.

"In the field of agricultural production in New Zealand, there are many household small and medium enterprises. Cross-border e-commerce can reduce its marketing costs and increase sales channels in the booming China market. It has great potential in China-New Zealand trade in the future."

Jian Yang, New Zealand's national MP, said small and medium enterprises would embrace the opportunities of cross-border e-commerce.

"Export of high-quality agricultural products is a major feature of the New Zealand economy and has an advantage in the transformation and upgrading of the Chinese consumer market.

"For both supply and demand, e-commerce is more direct and more convenient. It can be expected that cross-border e-commerce cooperation will become a highlight of China-New Zealand trade in the future."

David Parker, New Zealand's minister for economic development, environment and trade, acknowledged that e-commerce can help reduce carbon emissions and highly praised China's achievements in reducing carbon emissions.

"It is so important to the future of the world. As we move to a low-carbon future, we need to avoid the extremes of climate change. We must find new technologies to electrify the transport," said Parker, who was very impressed by China's leading role in the development of electric vehicles.

"Alibaba's inaugural New Zealand Expo is a great opportunity for local businesses large and small. Kiwi products have a great reputation among Chinese consumers for their high-quality, so New Zealand retailers are very valuable to Alibaba Group," said Maggie Zhou, managing director for Alibaba Australia and New Zealand.

"With the Alibaba eCommerce Expo, we're aiming to enable New Zealand businesses to explore new opportunities. The event is designed to engage big businesses already having great success with our online marketplace, as well as introducing small and medium enterprises who are looking for knowledge and support to tap into the Chinese market," said Zhou.

Over 110 local retailers on the expo, from both New Zealand and Australia, will have the opportunity to build valuable relationships with Alibaba and its ecosystem of partners, meet with Chinese buyers, and engage directly with Chinese consumers who will livestream product demonstrations on Taobao, China's largest mobile commerce destination.

Alipay, operated by Ant Financial, a company of Alibaba Group, also had a presence at the expo. It explained to businesses how they can capitalize on the 400,000 Chinese visitors who come to New Zealand every year.

Alipay is the top digital payment tool in China, offering merchants a convenient point-of-sale experience and a sophisticated marketing channel to reach visitors before, during and after their visits to New Zealand.

Xinhua