India’s authorities has partnered with China’s Alibaba.com on an export-focused program aimed toward serving to startups and small companies attain abroad consumers. The transfer highlights New Delhi’s selective engagement with Chinese language-linked tech platforms years after it imposed sweeping bans on shopper apps and video games.
This week, the Indian authorities’s Startup India initiative announced the collaboration with Alibaba.com to determine and assist Indian startups that may assist onboard and scale Indian exporters on the group’s world B2B platform. This system gives commissions and technical assist to these startups to help small producers and merchants in reaching abroad markets.
The brand new partnership arrives after years of strained India–China relations. New Delhi banned dozens of Chinese language-linked apps in 2020 following a lethal border conflict, together with main platforms akin to TikTok, PUBG Cell, and AliExpress, an e-commerce app operated by Alibaba Group. These restrictions stay in place, making the Indian authorities’s public collaboration with Alibaba’s export-focused platform a rigorously circumscribed type of engagement fairly than a broader coverage reset.
India’s export ambitions are carefully tied to its small companies and the platforms they use to achieve abroad markets. Micro, small, and medium enterprises account for nearly half of the country’s exports and about 31% of GDP, in response to the Indian authorities’s newest Financial Survey, underlining why New Delhi has targeted on increasing digital market entry for smaller corporations by way of world B2B channels, together with Alibaba.com.
Alibaba.com’s B2B platform connects greater than 50 million lively consumers throughout over 200 nations and areas, stated Rocky Lu, head of India enterprise on the firm.
“Alibaba.com has been lively in India for over twenty years, and we stay devoted to our core mission of empowering MSMEs to scale their companies globally,” Lu informed TechCrunch. “Our focus continues to be on leveraging our digital infrastructure to assist ‘Made in India’ merchandise attain a world viewers by way of digital transformation.”
Lu didn’t verify whether or not the Startup India initiative marks Alibaba.com’s first direct partnership with India’s federal authorities since 2020. He stated, nevertheless, that the corporate has “maintained a constant cadence of engagement with numerous authorities and semi-government our bodies integral to the Indian export ecosystem,” together with by way of digital coaching applications for MSMEs and collaborations with export promotion councils.
The partnership displays India’s differentiated method towards China, sustaining restrictions in strategic and security-sensitive sectors whereas permitting financial engagement the place there may be clear profit, stated Kazim Rizvi, founding director of the New Delhi-based public coverage assume tank The Dialogue.
“Going ahead, regulatory readability will probably be essential,” Rizvi informed TechCrunch. “Predictable coverage environments will assist make sure that startups really feel assured taking part in such initiatives.”
The Indian authorities appears to be drawing a distinction between export-focused platforms and consumer-facing Chinese language apps, stated George Chen, associate and co-chair of the digital observe at The Asia Group, a Washington-based consultancy that advises firms on coverage and geopolitical dangers throughout Asia. Chen, who beforehand served as a regional public coverage director at Meta, stated New Delhi sees worth in Alibaba’s function in supporting B2B exports, significantly given the platform’s attain in markets akin to Africa, which may assist Indian exporters diversify their world gross sales.
India seems to be drawing classes from China’s method to digital platforms, Chen informed TechCrunch.
“China bans international apps like Fb and Instagram for Chinese language particular person customers however nonetheless permits Fb and Google to do enterprise with Chinese language firms, particularly exporters who depend on these platforms to promote merchandise overseas,” Chen stated.
The Startup India collaboration follows different latest steps by Alibaba.com to develop export-focused companies in India. In June 2025, the corporate launched its Commerce Assurance program within the nation, aimed toward serving to Indian small and medium-sized exporters handle dangers in cross-border transactions by way of fee safety and dispute-resolution instruments.
The developments additionally come as India and China present tentative indicators of improved engagement in multilateral know-how boards, with Chinese representatives expected to attend the India AI Impression Summit in New Delhi subsequent week. Indian officers, nevertheless, haven’t indicated any change to restrictions on Chinese language shopper know-how platforms.
The Indian commerce ministry didn’t reply to a request for feedback.
