2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. Despite these challenges, we’ve seen many companies adapt and innovate to expand their businesses internationally. During this period, Alibaba has helped hundreds of U.S. companies embrace e-commerce and digital strategies to expand their businesses overseas to help overcome the effects of the pandemic. We are committed to doing more of this in 2021 and beyond.

For many years Alibaba has worked with American small businesses, farmers, and major brands and retailers to sell everything from agricultural products to cosmetics and fashion items to markets worldwide. In 2020, Alibaba expanded these efforts and established new initiatives to support American businesses.

During our 11.11 Global Shopping Festival, we helped thousands of U.S. brands, big and small, find new customers in China. Overall, participating U.S. brands generated $5.4 billion in sales to Chinese consumers. Alibaba’s Go Global 11.11 Pitch Fest also helped U.S. small and medium-sized brands successfully participate in the world’s largest shopping event for the first time.

Our Digitization Sprint for U.S. Manufacturers program is helping to educate U.S. manufacturers interested in learning how to digitize their businesses. The four-week program teaches SMEs the fundamentals of online marketing, selling, and sourcing to accelerate their digital transformation and ensure long-term success.

We also continue to prioritize our commitment to protecting the hard-earned intellectual property of businesses through theAlibaba Anti-Counterfeiting Alliance. We are proud to have been recognized by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s key investigative branch and 23 other federal agencies for our efforts to combat IP theft and safeguard consumers.

These are just a few examples of our work with American businesses in 2020. In the new year, we will continue to advance our digital technologies and innovation to serve American brands and SMEs, helping them connect with international markets to grow their customer base and sales.

Sincerely,
Michael Evans, President and Director, Alibaba Group