Despite the battle against Covid-19 raging on across the world, a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology, has reaffirmed its commitment to expand its logistics operations to support Covid-19 relief aid and strengthen Malaysia as a leading trade and transhipment hub in the region.
It has also announced the eWTP hub in KLIA as one of three international transhipment hubs across the world for the distribution of medical supplies, with the other two located in Belgium and Ethiopia.
The global network of eWTP regional hubs plays an essential role in the efficient distribution of the donated medical supplies worldwide. In this regard, the firm’s Foundations have been playing active roles, globally.
The Foundations recently announced a donation of more than 100 million face masks and 1 million test kits to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The firm will work closely with the WHO to leverage the eWTP Hubs at KLIA in Malaysia; at Liege in Belgium, and in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia; as well as UN facilities in other regions to efficiently distribute these needed medical supplies. In this process, Malaysia’s eWTP Hub will play a key role in the distribution of goods to the Asia-Pacific region.
The Minister of Communications and Multimedia stated that the establishment of the DFTZ in partnership with the firm to set up its first international eWTP Hub in Malaysia in 2017 has continued to play an important trade facilitation role especially in times of uncertainties and border closures brought about by events such as the Covid-19 outbreak.
The effort of global digital companies to drive forward-looking trade initiatives to support the Government’s measures to mitigate Covid-19 and to support the socio-economic recovery must be applauded.
DFTZ supporting e-commerce ambitions
The CEO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) stated that in addition to establishing Malaysia as the transhipment hub, the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) also aims to support Malaysia’s e-commerce aspiration as articulated in the country’s National E-commerce Strategic Roadmap, launched in 2016.
In this Roadmap, the contribution of e-commerce to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is targeted to be further increased by facilitating the digital transformation of SMEs, especially to adopt e-commerce, as well as by expanding exports through market access and promote the national brand to boost cross border e-commerce.
Another expert noted that local SMEs are essential to the nation’s economic growth and recovery.
Starting 26 March, the Foundations donated 560,000 essential medical items to Malaysia, including face masks, test kits full-body protective suits and face shields that were delivered to National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) via the eWTP Hub at KLIA.
That same month, the tech giant’s eWTP hub at KLIA also served as a transhipment hub for a portion of medical supplies donated by the Foundations to Indonesia.
The Foundations are now arranging a second round of donations to Asian countries including Malaysia. In this round of donations, the tech gaint is planning to use the eWTP hub at KLIA to receive the donations for Malaysia, and to serve as a temporary storage and transhipment hub for several other countries in the region.
The Prime Minister stated that the Covid-19 pandemic has massively disrupted trade activities throughout the world, including the flow of relief aid and essential supplies.
He thanked the Foundations for their continued generous donations to Malaysia in these challenging times and welcomed the firm’s initiative to expand its relief aid logistics operation here to benefit the region.
Tech giant’s measures to support SMEs and promote trade
Since the launch of its first international eWTP hub in Kuala Lumpur on 2017, the tech giant has assisted Malaysian SMEs to find new markets overseas via its various e-commerce platforms, support the local development of digital payment through its financial affiliate company, enhance the tech capabilities of businesses with its cloud computing support, as well as having trained more than 15,000 digital talents locally.