Alibaba boss Ma: world should give Trump some time

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma said the company’s ambitions to link up with Hollywood remain strong and also urged people to give President-Elect Donald Trump “some time” because “he’s listening.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, the Chinese billionaire said Alibaba had a debate five years ago about what Chinese people want. “Happiness and health,” he said. “We believe the movie industry brings happiness. Today, no one is happy. Rich people aren’t happy. Poor people aren’t happy. At least when I watch a movie I’m happy.”

On Trump, Ma spoke of his “productive” meeting with the incoming President last week at Trump Tower in New York, and said "We should give President-elect Donald Trump some time. He's open-minded. He's listening." adding “I’m very happy about the results.”

At the center of their discussion, the two men spoke about small business, agriculture and trade between China and the U.S., with a specific focus on how they could work together to create 1 million new jobs in small businesses over the next five years.
He told also Trump that both the US and China could benefit from a more inclusive form of globalisation where the gains were more widely shared.
“I believe globalisation is good, but it needs to be improved. It should be inclusive globalisation.”

On the issue of whether China is taking jobs from the U.S., Ma insisted the causes of America's lost manufacturing base were closer to home. "It's not the other countries steal jobs from you guys. It is your strategy. You don't distribute the money and things in the proper way," the Alibaba boss said during a Davos session that was webcast.