Is Chinese online retailer JD.com planning to conquer Europe via Zeebrugge?

JD.com has its eye on the port of Zeebrugge as a springboard to Europe. The Chinese e-commerce player, which mainly focuses on logistics, visited the port together with Flemish prime minister Jan Jambon.

In search of a European base

JD.com, rival of Alibaba on the Chinese home market, has had plans to push through to Europe for some time, but now seems to be taking concrete action. The management of JD Logistics, the logistics arm of the group, is currently touring Europe to choose a good base on the continent.

The delegation also visited the port of Zeebrugge, in the presence of Flemish prima minister Jan Jambon. Earlier, compatriot Lingang also invested 85 million euros in a logistics park in the port in order to attract other Chinese companies. The Chinese state-owned company Cosco also has its own container terminal there.

Logistics world domination

But it is still unsure whether JD Logistics will choose Zeebrugge. Even what exactly the company is looking for seems unclear at the moment: according to newspaper De Tijd, nothing is known yet about the size of the investments, about the necessary infrastructure or about the possible consequences for employment.

As a specialist in high-tech and hyper-automated logistics, JD.com’s dream is to become the world’s largest player in logistics, first in China and then via Europe on the rest of the planet. The company’s co-owners include Google and Walmart. It is valued at 58 billion dollars on the stock exchange. A year ago, European plans were called into question due to a restructuring, but now the project is picking up again.