Alibaba in the press Trade Treasure Jack Ma sees Alibaba as his baby, but it won't be long till the wedding banquet. It may be just a tale from Arabian Nights, but a Hong kong entrepreneur hopes to turn the story into a reality. Since then, the company has built up an online membership of more than 100,000 people in 181 countries. Members pay nothing for the service, which can land them lucrative contracts and long-term trading partners. His aim to position Alibaba as the leader in its field received a welcome boost at the start of the year - the official seal of approval from one of the world's leading Internet companies.
Big companies can buy the best equipment to set up their own networks.
Small companies cannot afford expensive e-commerce equipment. So what we do is give small companies e-commerce ability by helping them source partners and information around the world. A small manufacturer in Asia can find a buyer, find out exactly what he wants to buy, how much he wants to buy and what he is willing to pay. Most SMEs have a very changeable dynamic. Today they might sell t-shirts, tomorrow it could be chemicals.