AliExpress aims to have 1 billion international customers within seven years

AliExpress Ltd, a retail site that allows Chinese merchants to sell directly to foreign customers, aims to serve 1 billion users globally within seven years and build a "cyber Silk Road" following the Belt and Road Initiative.

The company, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, had attracted more than 100 million international buyers as of April since its launch in 2010, said Dai Shan, president of Alibaba's business-to-business unit.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to strengthen infrastructure, economic and trade ties in the Eurasian region, will lend AliExpress new momentum to grow its customer base tenfold in less than seven years, said Shen Difan, general manager of AliExpress.