The case was investigated by the Belgian intelligence service due to suspicions that the Beijing government may use the presence of Chinese companies on the Old Continent to collect information sensitive to national security.
“FT”: Alibaba’s Logistics Center under control. The Belgians suspect espionage
According to the Belgian services, activities are currently underway to detect “possible espionage activities and/or interference” among Chinese companies, including Alibaba. The Belgians focused on controlling the logistics center of the Chinese company at the cargo airport in Liège, in the east of the country. One of the main points of interest of the services is “software collecting sensitive economic information” allegedly used by the company.
Alibaba uses the plant to receive parcels sent to Europe by air, and sort and ship them by land at the company’s hangars at the airport – mainly to customers ordering goods on the group’s AliExpress platform. Another of the companies of the Chinese holding – Cainiao – is responsible for operating the Belgian logistics center. The facility in Liège is currently the only European logistics center operated by this company – writes “FT”. Such points – according to the newspaper’s informant – can be collected and transferred to the authorities in Beijing, among others. information on European trade and logistics.
Alibaba received permission to open a logistics center in Belgium in 2018, and the facility began operating two years ago. However, during the construction period, the first concerns about “potential espionage in this place” arose in the Belgian parliament, the newspaper reminds. Vincent Van Quickenborne, the Belgian Minister of Justice, stated in an interview with “FT” that the agreements with Alibaba are based on arrangements from “the previous century”, and now “the times of naivety have changed”. In July this year The Belgians also adopted new regulations that will allow for the monitoring of foreign investments in critical infrastructure.
Cainiao (managing the logistics center) denies any irregularities. The company noted that data security and privacy protection are “of great importance to our business.” It was also noted that the plant in Liège complies with all Belgian and European regulations, including GDPR.
Source: Gazeta
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