China-US Trade: Alibaba speaks out against Trump's trade actions

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Even China's leading online retailer Alibaba is bracing for what might be a possible trade war. CGTN's Han Peng reports.

With the two economic superpowers on the brink of a trade war, China's e-commerce giant Alibaba urges Washington to think twice.

LIU PENG, IMPORT EXPORT MANAGER T-MALL, ALIBABA "On T-mall Global, there are many US retailers and US brands who are doing the business through cross-border trade. For example, we have the Macy's store and COSTCO store. They can sell their products directly to the Chinese customers."

The US firms registered the highest sales among all foreign vendors during last year's Single's Day shopping bonanza. A record 28 billion dollars in sales were made on Alibaba alone in 24 hours.

LIU PENG, IMPORT EXPORT MANAGER T-MALL, ALIBABA "More and more Chinese people like the products from the United States, such as the cherries, fashion products and nuts."

HAN PENG SHANGHAI "14 months ago, Alibaba was the very company that helps break down the icyness in the China-US relations, after Donald Trump won the US Presidential election with tough words against Beijing."

Trump's rhetoric softened after Alibaba's founder and CEO Jack Ma met with the then-president-elect in January last year. Ma pledged his company will help create a million US jobs.

DONALD TRUMP THEN-PRESIDENT-ELECT "We had a great meeting, a great, great entrepreneur, one of the best in the world and he loves China."

But a looming trade war made things uncertain for Chinese buyers and US sellers.

LIU PENG, IMPORT EXPORT MANAGER T-MALL, ALIBABA "Generally speaking, American brands and American merchants need China's market, because it's another large market beside the United States."

Currently, over 7,000 US brands have their businesses on Alibaba. Nearly half of them had their debut to Chinese customers through e-commerce. Han Peng, CGTN, Shanghai.