Daniel Cukier
According to the Financial Times, which cited sources, Belgian intelligence believed Chinese Alibaba was conducting espionage at the company's Liege logistics center.
Chinese businesses, including Alibaba, may have engaged in "espionage or interference," according to Belgian intelligence agencies. The company inked a contract in 2018 to establish its hub in Liege, Belgium, which has Europe's fifth-largest freight airport. It is primarily used by Alibaba (specifically the company's logistics affiliate Cainiao) to ship goods that European customers have ordered on AliExpress.
However, intelligence agencies have been keeping an eye on Alibaba's actions ever since the hub opened. The "electronic worldwide trading platform" that Alibaba uses, Cainiao's logistics software, is specifically one of the intelligence’s worries. The Belgian customs service is particularly concerned that Chinese legislation requires businesses to provide data to authorities, which local intelligence may utilize. The intelligence service stated that China "has both the intention and the capability to use this data for non-commercial purposes."
source: ft.com
Chinese businesses, including Alibaba, may have engaged in "espionage or interference," according to Belgian intelligence agencies. The company inked a contract in 2018 to establish its hub in Liege, Belgium, which has Europe's fifth-largest freight airport. It is primarily used by Alibaba (specifically the company's logistics affiliate Cainiao) to ship goods that European customers have ordered on AliExpress.
However, intelligence agencies have been keeping an eye on Alibaba's actions ever since the hub opened. The "electronic worldwide trading platform" that Alibaba uses, Cainiao's logistics software, is specifically one of the intelligence’s worries. The Belgian customs service is particularly concerned that Chinese legislation requires businesses to provide data to authorities, which local intelligence may utilize. The intelligence service stated that China "has both the intention and the capability to use this data for non-commercial purposes."
source: ft.com
