Govt offers Alibaba’s CEO to be e-Commerce advisor

Jakarta, InfoPublik – President Joko Widodo on the sidelines of G20 series of meetings held in China visited Alibaba Group Corporate Campus in Hangzhou on Sep. 2. The President and entourage were welcomed by Alibaba Group CEO Jack Ma along with other Alibaba executives.

At the visit, President Jokowi and Jack Ma engaged in a talk and the two shared the same views regarding the development of small and medium enterprises. Jack Ma said small businesses must be given access to technology in order to develop, a view which was also frequently expressed by President Jokowi in a number of occasions in Indonesia.

At the last session of the discussion, Indonesian Communications and Information Technology Minister Rudiantara presented the development of e-Commerce in Indonesia with a focus on how to promote Indonesian SMEs to go online and go export, considering the fact that SMEs in Indonesia made a great contribution to the national economy. Minister Rudiantara also invited Jack Ma to be an advisor to the National e-Commerce Roadmap Implementation Steering Committee.

President Joko Widodo during the early formation of the Working Cabinet urged several related ministries to support and promote Indonesian e-Commerce. In response to the president’s direction, e-Commerce roadmap was immediately arranged. The roadmap was aimed to facilitate, encourage, and provide ease of access for Indonesian e-Commerce. (Translator: Siti Chodijah)