Prime Minister Najib Razak made a brief stopover in Hangzhou this morning to gain an insight on the operations of China's e-trade giant, Alibaba Group.

In the afternoon, he will leave for Beijing for a five-day working visit and is scheduled to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation from May 14-15.

The prime minister, accompanied by his wife Rosmah Mansor, arrived at Hangzhou Airport at around 6.20am and were greeted by Hangzhou Vice-Governor Liang Liming.

Also on hand to welcome the prime minister was China's Ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Hui Kang.

In Hangzhou, Najib will meet Alibaba Group executive chairperson Jack Ma, who is also digital economy adviser to the Malaysian government.

The prime minister will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Hangzhou Municipal Government & Alibaba Group (China) Company Limited.

The MoU is among the efforts undertaken by Malaysia to implement the Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ) project launched by Najib and Jack Ma last March 22.

DFTZ is aimed at spurring Malaysia's economic growth by providing cross-border e-trade facilities for small and medium companies which in the past found it difficult to penetrate the international market.

It will among others, provide an area at KL International Airport Aeropolis for logistics facilities and storage, and efficiently expedite customs and financing procedures.

- Bernama