Chinese online retailing giant, Alibaba, has opened an office in Melbourne.

The office will serve as a headquarter for Australian and New Zealand business operations.

Alibaba said the office and its team will “help Australian and New Zealand businesses share their world famous products with billions of customers around the world”.

The office will be led by an Australian New Zealand Managing Director, Maggie Zhou, who has been with Alibaba for 17 years.

“A physical Alibaba headquarters is key in ensuring Australian businesses have the support and information they need to succeed in china and the rest of the world,” Zhou told Alizila, a news service established by Alibaba to report on company news.

“More than just e-commerce”

Alibaba said the office will provide more than “just e-commerce services” to Australian business and consumers. The office will also build an operating system which will include cloud computing, online payments and logistics.

Chief Executive Officer of the Alibaba Group, Jack Ma, was in Australia for the opening and met with Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull.

New Australia Post partnership

Alibaba also used the offie opening as an opportunity to announce an extended partnership agreement with Australia Post.

The partnership will involve extending Australia Post online storefronts beyond China to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to help Australian businesses sell products across the region.

The Australia Post-branded storefronts will establish the first Australian marketplace within South-East Asia’s leading eCommerce network Lazada, of which Alibaba has a majority shareholding.

Lazada provides merchants with direct access to more than 560 million consumers in six countries and features a wide product offering in categories ranging from consumer electronics and household goods to fashion and health products.

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