Indonesia asks Alibaba’s Ma to be e-commerce development adviser

JAKARTA/BEIJING: Indonesia has asked the chairman of China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Jack Ma, to act as adviser in the development of the Southeast Asian country’s nascent ecommerce industry, according to a video released by the government.

Indonesia has the world’s fourth-largest population, boasting a young, internet-savvy demographic, and a thriving ecommerce market that is increasingly attracting global investors.

Earlier this year, Alibaba bought a controlling stake in Southeast Asian online retailer Lazada Group for around US$1 billion (RM4.07 billion), while a group of investors led by private equity firms KKR & Co LP and Warburg Pincus LLC poured more than US$550 million into Indonesian ride-hailing startup Go-Jek.

To promote growth in the ecommerce industry, the government is setting up a “steering committee” consisting of 10 ministers for which it has asked Alibaba’s Ma to be an adviser, Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara said.

“The thinking behind this is to make Indonesia’s positioning in the international marketplace more prominent,” Rudiantara said in a video released by the state secretariat. The minister, like many Indonesians, only uses one name.

Rudiantara is part of President Joko Widodo’s delegation attending the G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

An Alibaba spokeswoman confirmed that Ma was asked to be adviser to Indonesia’s e-commerce steering committee, but declined to say whether he had accepted the offer. – Reuters