Ma is heading to The Economic Club of New York for a speech about Alibaba’s global strategy, then to Chicago to meet with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and to attend a forum with some 300 small business owners hosted by American Express CEO Ken Chenault.
Ma has stated that Alibaba is not out to compete with established US internet players or make large acquisitions in the US. The company’s message revolves around Alibaba’s efforts to use technology to eliminate obstacles to US - China trade, with an emphasis on helping small US businesses expand to global markets.
Alibaba’s B2C marketplace Tmall.com already hosts scores of US brands, but Ma has been urging faster progress in the establishment of alliances not just in the US but around the world to beef up cross-border ecommerce linkages and to speed international shipping of goods ordered online by individuals, particularly goods ordered by Chinese consumers.
The country’s consumers, already enthusiastic online shoppers, are increasingly using online marketplaces such as Tmall.com to buy from foreign companies. Cross-border purchases by China’s online shoppers grew ten-fold between 2010 and 2014, from less than USD 2 billion to more than USD 20 billion, according to Emarketer.
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