Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba lands in spy probe in Belgium

Belgian officials are investigating dangers associated with the presence of China’s Alibaba Group Holding at a cargo airport in the city of Liege, according to a statement issued by the country’s intelligence service VSSE on Thursday. The security service claimed it was seeking to “detect and fight against possible spying and/or interference activities carried out by Chinese entities including Alibaba” at the company’s primary European logistics center at Liege Airport. According to the statement, Belgian authorities are investigating Alibaba’s operations at the airport based on an examination of China’s regulatory framework. The presence of Alibaba “still constitutes a point of attention” for the VSSE, it said, due to legislation which obligates Chinese companies to share data with Chinese authorities and intelligence services. The Financial Times, which first reported the news, said Alibaba denied any wrongdoing. Alibaba did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Alibaba signed an agreement with the Belgium government in 2018 to open an e-commerce trade hub, run by its logistics arm Cainiao, that would include investment in logistics infrastructure. The Chinese e-commerce giant last month filed to list Cainiao on the Hong Kong stock exchange, which would make the unit the first to be separated since Alibaba said in March it would restructure and split its business into six units.