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Jack Ma at the Macau inauguration of the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs. Photo: Edward Wong

Alibaba boss Jack Ma urges Hong Kong youth to ‘think clearly’ about what they will lose if they cut ties with China

Addressing students at the University of Macau, Jack Ma says young people should consider what they really want and what they stand to lose

Alibaba

Alibaba boss Jack Ma has urged Hong Kong youths who want to cut ties with China to think clearly about what they are asking for and what they stand to lose.

The executive chairman of Alibaba Group, which owns the Post, weighed in on the rise of localist sentiment in Hong Kong while speaking to university students in Macau on Monday.

“Everybody has their own choice … I think these young people should really think clearly what they want and what they will give up,” he said. “Some years later they will understand.”

Young people should also “think of their roots”, he added.

On a separate note, the e-commerce tycoon expressed his hope to list Ant Financial Services, an Alibaba affiliate, in Hong Kong. Founded in 2014, the company, which operates Alipay, currently provides a platform for online payment, insurance and wealth management services that support the Alibaba empire.

You should really pay a visit to the mainland when there is chance
Alibaba boss Jack Ma

Ma, who also chairs the General Association of Zhejiang Entrepreneurs, was in the casino city for the inauguration of the association’s Macau chapter.

Addressing a seminar attended by hundreds of students at the University of Macau, Ma said some youths in Hong Kong and the former Portuguese colony were reluctant to visit the mainland because of preconceived stereotypical notions.

“You should really pay a visit to the mainland when there is chance … It would be so meaningful to understand the real situation [of China],” Ma said, adding it was also equally crucial for them to explore the world.

Ma highlighted the advantages which the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions enjoyed – primarily the principle of “one country, two systems” – which he said was globally unique and offered great opportunities for business.

He advised both Hong Kong and Macau to preserve their own characteristics, which he said included the two cities’ long history of openness to different people and ideas.

He also expressed confidence in Macau’s service sector as well as its financial market and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Separately, Ma said he had never thought of delisting Alibaba Group from the United States after it emerged last month that the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating the e-commerce giant’s accounting practices to determine whether federal laws had been broken.

Such an investigation was a normal practice, he said, suggesting it would be a good opportunity to let those who had any misunderstanding about Alibaba and other Chinese internet firms learn more about China and its companies.

When asked if he would consider listing Alibaba in Hong Kong, he said it would be “troublesome” everywhere.

As for SoftBank’s recent decision to sell more of its shares in Alibaba, Ma said their relationship remained unchanged. He said the Japanese telecom and internet firm was only trying to solve its own financial problems.

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