Last month B2B-Center, the leading B2B e-commerce platform in Russia, and XBNiao, a major Chinese e-commerce company, signed an exclusive strategic partnership to develop cross-border transactions. The partners underlined that their partnership has received “political support from the government of the People’s Republic of China.”
Chinese suppliers of certified industrial products and equipment will access the Russian marketplace, while Russian exporters will be able to use XBNiao to promote and sell their products in China.
“There are only reliable and internationally-recognized suppliers on XBNiao.com. The platform provides multi-level assurances, from independent testing of product samples, to security deposits and solid bank guarantees for the suppliers,” B2B-Center Chairman Alexander Boyko stated.
Chinese suppliers have already been active on B2B-Center for several years, accounting for about 40% of the platform’s foreign suppliers. “These Chinese suppliers participate in procurement procedures through their Russian registered legal entities. Our partnership with XBNiao aims to change this model. Chinese suppliers will gain direct access to our Goods and Services catalog. Our partner will enforce strict quality control of their goods, as well as professional translation of offer details and characteristics,” the B2B-Center press-service told East-West Digital News.
Three months ago a similar move was announced by Gazprombank. The Russian company — a subsidiary of the Russian gas monopoly — inked a deal with Alibaba in a bid to connect its B2B marketplace with the Chinese platform. The agreement — which does not seem to have brought concrete results yet — will allow thousands of Alibaba sellers or buyers to deal with Russian players.
B2B-Center believes it will stand out from this competition thanks to its vast client base: “We are the largest e-procurement platform in Russia,” the company’s press service reminded.
With a montly trading volume exceeding $2.2 billion in 2014, B2B-Center.ru serves more than 200,000 clients from 120 countries. In a recent interview with East-West Digital News, its CEO Alexey Degtyarev recounted how this business started in 2002 and gained such strong traction.
XBNiao.com was established three years ago. Last year the company’s revenue amounted to $300 million. Operating in 45 countries, its seven online platforms serve nearly 7,800 certified Chinese companies. The company operates its own logistics hubs in the USA and Germany. Additional hubs are being planned or under completion in Australia and Bahrain.
