British PM Mentions Alibaba 3X in 10-Minute Speech: Unlimited Cooperation
“We have just reached a consensus with Alibaba to develop Wuxi Town. And there is unlimited potential for cooperation between the two sides,” May said in her speech. The accompanying entrepreneurs came from all walks of life in Britain. Some had already established contacts with China while others were coming to China for the first time.
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British Prime Minister Teresa May attended the Sino–British Business Forum in Shanghai for an exchange with Chinese entrepreneurs on February 2. Teresa May said the cooperation between Chinese and British businesses has been very close. And that real business cooperation can bring real happiness. This seems to be the case in the cooperation between AstraZeneca and Alibaba in smart health systems.
May said in her speech that “Alibaba has been committed to supporting women’s employment. It is commendable for Alibaba to hold the World Women Conference.”
Regarding this, Jack Ma, chairman of the Chinese Entrepreneur Club, said the success of Alibaba is thanks to its large number of excellent female employees. Women are more considerate than men and pay more attention to experience, Ma said. At present, among the world’s high-tech companies, Alibaba has the highest number of female employees, and a third of the managers are women.
“If there are more women leaders in the world, the world will be better,” Ma said, “At this point, Britain has an advantage over other countries, with a great queen, prime minister and ambassador.”
Brexit aroused heated discussion. Ma said in his speech, “Mankind has entered a new historical moment. I love Dickens’ words: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the epoch of belief and it was the epoch of incredulity. We saw a lot of efforts from the UK, including the promotion of free trade. Now is a time for trust.”
Ma said he had no reason not to believe in Britain. Britain has always been an advocate and defender of global free trade, he said. Globalization is not a tool. It is an idea, a vision and a responsibility. China and Britain are heading for a more open path. It is because of opening up, mutual trust and complementary economics that the golden age of China and the UK is coming.
Technology and Innovation
Ma also talked about the development of technology and innovation in his speech. “Britain is the birthplace of the industrial era. Now the data era is coming, and the UK is still actively embracing new technologies and full of vitality.” He said he also discussed artificial intelligence with the British PM at the Davos Forum. “Britain welcomes artificial intelligence and a future technology strategy,” Ma said. He said he had a profound impression of British openness.
