Leaders of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) held a high-level discussion with a delegation from the global e-commerce giant Alibaba.com at the World Trade Center on Saturday to explore avenues for trade, e-commerce, and export expansion.

The meeting featured CCCI President Mohammad Amirul Haque and former President Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury, alongside Alibaba.com’s General Manager for Pakistan and Bangladesh, Gaoya Summer, and Senior Specialist and Bangladesh Channel Manager Wang Qiling Vania.

Highlighting Bangladesh's current economic transition, CCCI President Amirul Haque noted that the 2026-27 national budget includes strategic initiatives such as the establishment of bonded warehouses and free-trade zones to bolster foreign direct investment and export competitiveness.

He specifically pointed to the government-sanctioned China Special Economic Zone in Anwara, Chattogram, as a key development.

Urging Alibaba to integrate more Bangladeshi products into its global online platform, Haque also advocated for the creation of intake service stations within these special economic zones.

“China is a vital development partner for Bangladesh,” Haque stated, emphasizing that “enhancing business-to-business communication in bilateral trade is essential.”

He further pledged the Chamber's full support for initiatives centered on business expansion, e-commerce, and professional training.

Alibaba’s General Manager Gaoya Summer underscored the platform's massive global footprint, noting that the company, founded in 1999, serves over 50 million active customers and features more than two billion products from 200,000 suppliers.

"Given Bangladesh's substantial population, Alibaba.com is exploring avenues to enhance its business operations within the country," Summer said.

He noted that Chattogram’s agricultural and seafood sectors hold significant international demand.

"Efforts are being made to diversify and export products beyond the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh, as well as to link e-commerce and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs to the Alibaba platform," he added.

To support this, Summer announced the launch of an Alibaba Center in Chattogram, designed to provide local traders with training and information on export diversification.

Former CCCI President Amir Humayun Mahmud Chowdhury acknowledged that while e-commerce in Bangladesh has yet to reach its full potential, the partnership with Alibaba offers a transformative opportunity.

"Since Alibaba distributes products globally, it has the potential to contribute to the expansion of Bangladesh's exports," Chowdhury said.

He stressed the need for structured capacity building, noting that "Alibaba.com can facilitate the growth of e-commerce and the diversification of exports by providing proper training to young entrepreneurs in Bangladesh."

The meeting was attended by a broad representation of CCCI leadership, including Senior Vice President Md. Amjad Hossain Chowdhury, Vice President Md. Mosiul Alam Swapan, and numerous directors, as well as several representatives from the Alibaba management team, including Business Development Manager Zhang Suhai Bryce, Service and Account Manager Tang Hongxia Tina, Bangladesh Channel Manager Sonobar Maira, Bangladesh Managing Director Md. Faizul Alam, Executive Director Shan Shahed, and Consultant Sajid Bin Solaiman.