Alibaba Group
Executive Chairman Jack Ma has called on the 34 Asian Cooperation
Dialogue (ACD) member states for more policies and infrastructure that
support individuals under 30, as well as companies with fewer than 30
employees as they will drive future economic success on a global scale.
“Small
is beautiful. Small is powerful,” said Ma in his capacity both as
Alibaba Group Executive Chairman and as Special Adviser on youth
entrepreneurship and small business to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The second ACD Summit was held in Bangkok, Thailand on October 9 and 10 with the theme One Asia, Diverse Strengths.
In
his address, Ma picked up this theme to talk about the inclusivity and
openness of Asia as a region, pointing to how mobile technology in
particular had the potential to overcome geographic challenges with
regard to trade promotion, financing and job creation. He also
emphasised the importance of infusing innovation and imagination into
education in Asia. By working together Ma suggested that member
countries had the ability to create the next stage of globalisation, one
that evolves away from enabling large corporations and on to realising
the potential of smaller businesses.
The Asian
Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) is an Asian regional cooperation platform
initiated by Thailand in 2002 with the aim of connecting the countries
in Asia and to build an Asian community based on dialogue and
cooperation. The membership has extended to 34 states which represent
60% of the global population.
Ma was one of the first
business leaders, and the only business leader from China, to speak at
the forum which holds a number of values in common with the Alibaba
Group, such as positive thinking, openness and a proactive and
results-oriented nature.
