President Michael D. Higgins met with Asia’s richest man, Chinese entrepreneur, Jack Ma this afternoon.
The president is continuing his trade-focused visit to China, accompanied by Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, as well as the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and various other state bodies.
Jack Ma is one of Asia’s most prolific businessmen, he‘s also a philanthropist known for his outspoken views on climate change and vision for democratising the web in China.
According to sources, the meeting between the two was warm and successful, as was a simultaneous meeting with Jack Ma’s senior executive team, chaired by Michael Noonan, and attended by the IDA, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland among others.
Minister Noonan invited Mr Ma’s team working for his e-commerce company Alibaba to take a look at Ireland as an ideal place to invest, drawing on the favourable business environment and shared cultures, and ideals.
Ma was today announced as Asia’s richest man, with his Alibaba online marketplace bringing his wealth to an estimated $28.6bn.
Alibaba was floated on the stock exchange in September and is now worth $259bn, with Ma owning 6.3% of the company.
President Higgins meeting with Jack Ma, Asia's wealthiest man, today. Image: Fennell photography
