This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 19, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: It may have been a match made under the previous government, but leaders of the Pakatan Harapan administration and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd have shown no signs of backing out of a partnership to transform Malaysia’s digital landscape.

Chinese business magnate Jack Ma, who is a co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba, said he is “very confident about the relationship between Malaysia and China” having met Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya yesterday morning.

“To my great surprise, at 93 years old, he (Dr Mahathir) has such a great vision and knowledge of technology. We shared a lot of similarities; we believe [in the] Internet, technology and young people,” he told reporters yesterday afternoon at the opening of Alibaba’s Malaysian office — which is also its first in Southeast Asia.

Ma dismissed concerns over the Malaysian government’s intention to review mega infrastructure projects in the country, saying that project reviews happen constantly to increase clarity on the projects’ feasibility.

“People say there will be a lot of reviews; I say so what? Our country (China) has [constantly] reviewed every project. We need to review all the time to check what is right and wrong and as long as we believe we can work together, we can solve the problem,” Ma said.

Comparing the two countries as partners in a marriage, Ma said during a group interview that it is natural that there are problems in any relationship, particularly between two large trading partners.

“There will be problems; how can there be no problems? So, I think if there is a problem, it can be solved. If there is no problem, that is a big problem [because for] people like us, our job is to solve problems,” he noted.

“Wherever there are problems, there are always opportunities. As business leaders, we are always optimistic,” Ma said.

Dr Mahathir has been reported as saying that he will be re-evaluating Chinese investments in the country, including those that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative such as the RM67 billion East Coast Rail Link project.

However, according to Ma, Dr Mahathir welcomed Alibaba to Malaysia with the vision of more training for young Malaysians in terms of technology.

“I am very touched by his support and passion to empower and create jobs for the rural and young people,” Ma said, adding that his discussion with Dr Mahathir covered topics such as the use of technology to create jobs, increase productivity and for rural development.

“We are both interested in how we can use the technology [of] today to empower rural farmers, create jobs and increase productivity. We agreed to use technology, together with Alibaba and its partners and the Malaysian government, to change as many young people as possible, to train and empower as many small businesses as possible,” he noted.

On its new office in Malaysia, Ma said Alibaba remains committed to invest in Malaysia.

“This office is our first in Southeast Asia. It shows the commitment of Alibaba. In the past year, so many things have happened but we never changed our commitment to Malaysia. In every country that Alibaba goes to, we focus mainly on three things — to digitalise local partners, support and empower small businesses, and [for] young people to go global,” he said.

“Before I came here, many people discussed China and Malaysia’s relationship. And I said, just like 30 years ago, many people were worried about [the] Internet [and its implications]. I think worry will never solve any problems.

“[That’s why] I came [here] myself; I feel it and I am very confident about the relationship between Malaysia and China. I am also confident about [the] China business community [who wants] to invest in Malaysia,” Ma said.

The positive relationship between both countries was reaffirmed by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who welcomed Alibaba’s commitment and “eagerness to cooperate with the new government” at the launch of the group’s office yesterday.

“We consider this a shining symbol of [the] China-Malaysia friendship that is based on mutual respect and benefits that augur well for cooperation on the part of governments, businesses and people from both countries,” he said.

In the closed interview, Ma shared that he and Guan Eng had exchanged a lot of ideas on knowledge sharing, technology, inclusive financing and culture over dinner on Sunday evening.

“I admire him for his courage and embracing of technology. It is amazing how this country’s government officers welcome technology and change,” Ma said.