Zheng Shanjie (right), secretary of the CPC Ningbo Municipal Committee meets Alibaba Group's CEO Zhang Yong on May 8. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn] 

Zheng Shanjie, secretary of the CPC Ningbo Municipal Committee, met Alibaba Group's CEO Zhang Yong on May 8. 

Ningbo has a strong foundation in port economy, manufacturing and foreign trade, and is endeavoring to build a series of world-class industrial clusters and boost the development of foreign trade, the service sector and rural areas, Zheng said.

Alibaba is a world-class enterprise, and the partnership between the two sides is expected to fuel the city's industrial growth and economic development, he continued.

The Party chief expressed hope that the two sides will carry out in-depth cooperation in digital economy so as to spur the development of port economy, real economy, and city management, and help local enterprises expand their markets and upgrade their technology. 

He invited Alibaba to participate in the city's drive to build itself into a world-class advanced manufacturing base and a global goods distribution center.

Zheng called for more efforts to implement specific cooperation projects.

Zhang said that Ningbo has many unique development advantages, and Alibaba is very optimistic about its prospects, adding that the company will actively participate in the development of Ningbo by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things.

He expressed hope that the company can help local enterprises better adapt to the market and accelerate digitalization, building the city into a smart city with high standards.