Jack Ma points to the future
Some large-scale private enterprises in China’s eastern coastal regions are optimistically expanding, in contrast to their downsized western counterparts.
Alibaba Group, the world’s largest business-to-business (B2B) corporation in terms of turnover, has launched a new recruitment scheme in February. The Hangzhou-based group plans to take on 5,000 new members in 2009, raising the total number of employees by 45%.
China View reports David Wei, Chief Executive Officer of Alibaba as saying, ‘Online marketplace in China remains unaffected by the global recession.’
His confidence is enhanced by statistics.
According to a report published by iResarch Consulting Group, the number of registered online shoppers (is online shopping part of logistics? We think so) in China, 120 million by the end of 2008, has hit a record high with an upsurge of 185%.
Annual online transactions have reported RMB120 billion, a growth of 128.5% compared with lower than 95% for 2007. Also, China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) has announced that China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest Internet market with 298 million netizens by the end of 2008.
Alibaba is not alone. Hangzhou Wahaha, the biggest beverage maker in China and the fifth largest across the world, intends to employ 5,000 more workers after recruiting 2,000 recently.
Zong Qinghou, Wahaha’s Chairman and Managing Director said, ‘New positions result from the 90 new assembly lines that will be put into operation soon. We welcome graduates majored in machinery automation, biotechnology, logistics, microbiology, business administration or macromolecular chemistry.’
Suggestive of the upbeat prediction from Jack Ma, this expansion program is widely deemed a preparatory step for the recovery to come. Two months ago, Jack Ma, the founder and Chairman of Alibaba Group, forecast an upturn in the country’s macroeconomy.
To expand market share in such a rapidly developing Internet market, Alibaba will carry out a series of plans in the next five years, including further investment in Taobao.com. ‘We will be investingh RMB5 billion (US$731 million)’, said Lu Weixing, spokesman of Taobao.com.
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