Founder of Alibaba Jack Ma boasted of Norwegian conditions and culture when he met Prime Minister Erna Solberg (Conservatives) and Norwegian business tycoons in Beijing.
Jack Ma is one of China’s richest men and a mega celebrity. Alibaba has become a global giant in online commerce.
– I think that what the Norwegian Government has made to normalize relations between our countries is amazing, he said in a brief meeting with the Norwegian press Friday.
– For Norwegian companies it means access to a market with a middle class of 300 million people, he pointed out.
Impressed
In his speech to the Norwegian and Chinese business leaders Jack Ma praised Norwegian gender equality policies and Norwegian business culture.
He also stressed that he during a visit to Norway was impressed with the Norwegians’ relationship to nature.
Asked by NTB on what the political normalization between the two countries might mean for Chinese businesses, he said the following:
– If connections continued to be bad, it would be tragic for them. The normalization means that we can have an excellent start. If the relationship between the authorities is good, the private sector can move much faster forward. That the private sector will enjoy.
Historic day
He said that Friday, when Solberg started her official visit to China, was a historic day.
– Personally, I love Norway. I have been to the country and believe that more Chinese people should travel to Norway to understand the culture.
Jack Ma also answered a question about what expectations he has for the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
– Free trade, globalization, business! I have very great faith in free trade and globalization.
Global giant
Jack Ma’s company Alibaba has since its establishment in 1999 grown to become a giant in e-commerce in China. Through various platforms Alibaba offers millions of products in over 40 different categories, including consumer electronics, machinery and clothing.
On an annual basis Alibaba has roughly 434 million buyers from around the world. Sunday the Norwegian Prime Minister will visit Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou south of Shanghai.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
