Belgian officials are examining the risks associated with the presence of China’s Alibaba Group Holding at the cargo airport in the city of Liege, according to Reuters.
Guided by the company’s main European logistics centre at Liege airport, the security service reported it was working to “detect and combat possible espionage and/or interference by Chinese entities, including Alibaba.”
According to the statement, Belgian authorities are examining Alibaba’s activities at the airport based on an analysis of China’s legal framework.
Alibaba’s presence is of interest to the Belgian Intelligence and Security Agency (VSSE) because of the legislation that obliges Chinese companies to share data with Chinese authorities and intelligence agencies.
The Financial Times, the first newspaper to report the news, claimed that Alibaba denied any wrongdoing.
In 2018, Alibaba signed an agreement with the Belgian government to open an e-commerce shopping centre run by Cainiao, which would include investment in logistics infrastructure.
Last month, Alibaba applied to list Cainiao on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The unit will thus be the first of six planned as part of Alibaba’s application in March.
