Leading Chinese e-commerce and logistics retailer JD.com has expressed its intention to expand its business in Malaysia, according to Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the company was particularly interested in the logistics sector, national news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday.

“I welcome this intention, considering Malaysia’s strategic position which has the potential to emerge as a regional logistics hub, thus opening up more job opportunities for the locals,” he said in a statement.

Anwar said JD.com also intends to buy more Malaysian products to market in China.

Earlier, the prime minister, who is on a four-day working visit to China, held a business meeting with the company’s top management led by JD Logistics CEO and executive strategy member Hu Wei.

Listed on the NASDAQ 100 and a Fortune Global 500 company, JD.com is China’s largest e-commerce retailer, serving more than 580 million shoppers in China.

The company operates the largest order fulfilment infrastructure in China, enabling 90 percent of orders to be shipped the same or next day.

After the meeting with JD.com, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, held discussions with the leadership of the China Semiconductor Industry Association (CSIA) led by its chairman Chen Nanxiang.

“In this meeting, I reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to becoming a major global semiconductor player as outlined in the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS),” he said.

CSIA is the umbrella body for over 1,400 Chinese semiconductor companies.

“As an open economy, the Madani government will continue to attract quality investments, explore new opportunities and develop strategic sectors for the prosperity of the people and a brighter future for Malaysia,” said Anwar.

In July this year, JD.com announced an ambitious “10 Billion Growth Plan” to introduce 1,000 new brands from overseas through cross-border e-commerce over the next three years.

Leveraging its strong cross-border import supply chain capabilities, JD.com said in a blog post on its website that it is committed to serve as the gateway in connecting global brands with the growing demand for international products from Chinese consumers.

“It’s a win-win for everyone, with these overseas brands achieving a total sales growth of 10 billion yuan,” the company said then.

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