HANGZHOU - Alibaba's delivery arm, Cainiao Network, announced on Thursday plans to open five logistics hubs in Asia, Europe and the Middle East to enhance its global logistics capabilities.

Hangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Moscow and Liege are among the first batch of cities being considered for building the global hubs, the company said at the Global Smart Logistics Summit in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

Wan Lin, president of Cainiao Network, said that unlike common logistics bases, the global logistics hubs would have geographical and technological advantages.

Wan said that Cainiao would set up more global logistics bases to make its logistics network smarter and more efficient, with an ultimate mission to deliver anywhere in the world within 72 hours.

Cainiao has established a smart logistics network covering 224 countries and regions since the company was set up five years ago.

In 2017, Alibaba Group announced investment of 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) over five years to build a global logistics network.