Jack Ma in Detroit to woo small business

In a two-day event starting Tuesday in Detroit, Alibaba’s Jack Ma will offer an expected 3,000 US small-business owners tips on how to market and ship their wares to Chinese consumers, The Wall Street Journal reports. There is also a “fireside chat” with Martha Stewart, and Ma will be interviewed by TV news personality Charlie Rose. The event is being staged partly to show that Ma is making good on his pledge to President Donald Trump to help create one million new American jobs. But Alibaba is also after Western goods. Chinese rival JD.com said Monday that it generated $17.7 billion in sales during its 18-day “6.18” sales event in China this month, buoyed by tie-ups with US retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Chinese social-media giant Tencent Holdings. “Expanding US connections will help Alibaba attract more merchants and more products to its platform,” said Tian Hou, founder of equity research firm TH Capital in Beijing.