Under a Memorandum of Understanding announced yesterday on Alizila.com (the independent news service funded by Alibaba Group) Cainiao (the group’s logistics arm) and the United States’ national mail carrier agreed to collaborate on the development of enhanced shipping solutions for cross-border e-commerce.

In addition to helping provide more efficient shipping channels into the US for Chinese merchants and manufacturers selling on Alibaba’s AliExpress global-shopping website, the USPS will also work with Cainiao to expand its worldwide shipping capabilities, especially in South America.

In anticipation of the expected growth of the B2C cross-border ecommerce for the next years, Alibaba and related companies have been working with several national mail carriers including Singapore Post and Spanish Post.

Cainiao's Vice President Wan Lin called the agreement with USPS “a key part of Alibaba’s globalization strategy and our vision to enable consumers around the world to enjoy the convenience and benefits of e-commerce.”

Cainiao and the USPS said that by working together both organisations are expecting to make it easier and more efficient for Chinese companies to sell and deliver goods directly to the homes of US consumers while improving the way goods purchased from China are processed and handled during international shipping, namely in terms of shortening delivery times and improving tracking methods.