Recently, a leading global logistics provider, Agility, together with its digital innovation arm, Shipa, has signed a memorandum of understanding with JD Logistics, an independent business group under JD.com, China’s largest retailer, to collaborate on logistics in fast-growing e-commerce markets.

Agility and JD Logistics will work together to make it easier for consumers in some of the world’s fastest growing markets to get access to JD’s product range and products offered by JD Logistics’ merchant partners. The new agreement focuses on cross-border logistics, procurement and retail. It covers markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

In Southeast Asia, Agility will act as a cross-border business-to-consumer (B2C) trunk service provider, utilizing its strong air freight capacity, and will also act a local business-to-business (B2B) warehouse provider. In the Middle East and Africa, Agility will act as JD’s primary logistics service provider and will handle terminal customs clearance and delivery services for its B2C line, helping JD Logistics improve its local logistics system and build a more complete transportation service network. Jointly, Agility and JD Logistics will build door-to-door cross-border and local B2C services. JD Logistics is the operator of China’s largest B2C e-commerce fulfillment network.

In addition, Agility and JD will also cooperate in retail and procurement by promoting high-quality products made or assembled in the Middle East and Africa to Chinese sourcing merchants, and creating more sales channels for Chinese merchants. Agility will also help strengthen JD’s international supply chain. At the same time, JD will leverage its extensive logistics network and industry expertise to help Agility and its partners further enhance their footprint in the Chinese market, and increase overall operations efficiency.

The MOU was signed at JD Logistics’ 4th Global Supply Chain Summit in Beijing. The summit focused on the impact of advanced technologies on the global industrial economy and examined how artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing and blockchain will affect economic and social development.