TORONTO - Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba Group's online payment platform AliPay will officially launch in Canada through a partnership with Canadian tech firm Snap Pay Inc.

Canadian retailers will be able to accept Chinese currency from Chinese shoppers starting this week.

AliPay North America president Souheil Badran says the company wants to offer Canadian merchants the opportunity to access the Chinese market.

He says more than 450 Canadian merchants already accept AliPay in an unofficial capacity.

But the partnership gives the payment platform an opportunity to aggressively explore opportunities for expansion in the education, winery, restaurant and retail sectors.

The company touts the increasingly lucrative role Chinese consumers could play for Canadian businesses, given the country's growing middle class.