According to a statement released by Belgium’s intelligence service VSSE on Thursday, local authorities in Liege are investigating the presence of the Chinese company Alibaba Group Holding (9988. HK) at a cargo airport in the city.
The security service stated that it was seeking to “detect and fight against possible spying and/or interference activities carried out by Chinese entities including Alibaba” regarding the company’s primary European logistics center, located at Liege Airport.
According to the statement, Belgian authorities are conducting investigations into Alibaba’s operations at the airport based on a study of the legal environment in China.
The existence of Alibaba “still constitutes a point of attention” for the VSSE, it was stated, as a result of a law that compels Chinese firms to share data with Chinese authorities and intelligence agencies. This legislation is in place since Alibaba is located in China.
According to the Financial Times, the publication that broke the news initially, Alibaba has denied any wrongdoing. Requests for comments were made to Alibaba, but they did not immediately respond.
In 2018, Alibaba entered into a deal with the government of Belgium to build an e-commerce trade hub in the country. This hub would be managed by Alibaba’s logistics arm, Cainiao, and involve investments in the country’s logistical infrastructure.
The Chinese e-commerce giant filed to list Cainiao on the Hong Kong stock exchange last month, making the unit the first to be separated after Alibaba announced in March that it would reorganize and divide its company into six groups. Cainiao would become the first unit to be separated after Alibaba said it would restructure and split its business into six companies.
