JD.com’s Joint Venture Opens Two-Way Trade Between China, Southeast Asia

JD Group and Central announced the launch of a new online retail platform to serve consumers in Thailand and Southeast Asia on November 2. The platform is branded JD Central and available online at JD.co.th. Richard Liu said Thailand’s resources and location will allow the platform to serve most of southeast Asia.

The two-way platform will allow China’s top brands to export their commodities to Southeast Asia and allow fruits and agricultural products from Southeast Asia to reach Chinese customers faster.

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Central Group has a complete offline sales network in Thailand, Vietnam and Europe with 12 million ‘The 1 Card’ members. With JD’s advanced technology in logistics, data analysis, supply chain management and online operations, the two enterprises will build an ecological system that competes in the retail industry. This move marks Central Group’s step into e-commerce.

Tos Chirathivat, the chairman and CEO of Central Group, said the online retail market in Thailand ranks second in Southeast Asia. In 2016, online retail transactions accounted for 32 pecent of all e-commerce, and nearly 50 percent of which were done using a mobile terminal.

“In the next three to five years, we will promote the export of goods worth 100 billion baht and sell Thai goods to China and the global market through the JD platform,” Liu said.