AIRLINK 191.84 Decreased By ▼ -1.66 (-0.86%)
BOP 9.87 Increased By ▲ 0.23 (2.39%)
CNERGY 7.67 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (1.86%)
FCCL 37.86 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (0.42%)
FFL 15.76 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (1.03%)
FLYNG 25.31 Decreased By ▼ -0.28 (-1.09%)
HUBC 130.17 Increased By ▲ 3.10 (2.44%)
HUMNL 13.59 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (0.67%)
KEL 4.67 Increased By ▲ 0.09 (1.97%)
KOSM 6.21 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.8%)
MLCF 44.29 Increased By ▲ 0.33 (0.75%)
OGDC 206.87 Increased By ▲ 3.63 (1.79%)
PACE 6.56 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (2.5%)
PAEL 40.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.43 (-1.05%)
PIAHCLA 17.59 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (0.57%)
PIBTL 8.07 Increased By ▲ 0.41 (5.35%)
POWER 9.24 Increased By ▲ 0.16 (1.76%)
PPL 178.56 Increased By ▲ 4.31 (2.47%)
PRL 39.08 Increased By ▲ 1.01 (2.65%)
PTC 24.14 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.29%)
SEARL 107.85 Increased By ▲ 0.61 (0.57%)
SILK 0.97 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
SSGC 39.11 Increased By ▲ 2.71 (7.45%)
SYM 19.12 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.42%)
TELE 8.60 Increased By ▲ 0.36 (4.37%)
TPLP 12.37 Increased By ▲ 0.59 (5.01%)
TRG 66.01 Increased By ▲ 1.13 (1.74%)
WAVESAPP 12.78 Increased By ▲ 1.15 (9.89%)
WTL 1.70 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (1.19%)
YOUW 3.95 Increased By ▲ 0.10 (2.6%)
BR100 11,930 Increased By 162.4 (1.38%)
BR30 35,660 Increased By 695.9 (1.99%)
KSE100 113,206 Increased By 1719 (1.54%)
KSE30 35,565 Increased By 630.8 (1.81%)

BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities are concerned that a vast new logistics hub planned by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba could prove an opportunity for Beijing’s intelligence services.

The huge distribution centre being built outside Liege airport will give the firm a base to serve all of western Europe and form part of a global network.

It has been welcomed by officials in Belgium’s Wallonia region as an economic windfall but, amid mounting diplomatic tension, federal authorities are concerned.

Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne told MPs this week that Chinese law forces all private companies — including Alibaba — to cooperate with state intelligence.

“Companies like Alibaba are required to open posts within the business to their agents,” he said, in response to a question from a parliamentary commission.

“In practice, they could have access to sensitive and secure areas of the airport or to commercial and personal data held by Alibaba,” he warned. The minister said that the Surete de l’Etat, Belgium’s domestic intelligence agency, had warned of the dangers of China using economic power as political leverage.

The Chinese government does not always see eye-to-eye with Alibaba, which was recently fined nearly $2.8 billion (2.3 billion euros) for abusing its dominant market position in its home market.

But Beijing’s relations with Europe and the United States are also at a low ebb, amid criticism of its political crackdown in Hong Kong and of its treatment of the Uyghur minority. China recently imposed sanctions and travel bans on eight senior European officials, including a Belgian MP and several Brussels-based European Union figures.

Comments

Comments are closed.