Indonesian president Joko Widodo has invited Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, to be an economic advisor, during his visit to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, for the G20 summit, on Friday.
Indonesia has 56 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Widodo said. He wished to boost the co-operation between SMEs in Indonesia and Alibaba and help them enter the Chinese and the global market.
The Indonesian government’s support to and vision of the SMEs are consistent with Alibaba’s, said Ma, who accompanied Widodo and his wife during the visit to Alibaba Xixi headquarters.
Indonesia holds great potential in e-commerce with its large population and numbers of SMEs, he said, adding that Alibaba’s business model is suitable for the Indonesian market and he is confident Alibaba can help Indonesian companies.
The G20 summit is scheduled to run from September 4-5 in Hangzhou.
Reuters, MCI
