Vladimir Putin interrupted the entrepreneurship roundtable at the EEF to ask why Ma planned to retire at 55
What Putin asked
According to the official Alibaba account on Weibo, at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin noticed Jack Ma and paused the ongoing entrepreneurship roundtable on Tuesday to ask why Ma was retiring so early.
“I’d like to ask that young man sitting over there eating Russian snacks—Jack Ma, you’re still so young, why are you retiring?” Putin asked Ma, who was also attending the forum.
How Ma responded
The entrepreneur objected, saying he was no longer a young man. “Yesterday, I celebrated my 54th birthday here in Russia,” Ma replied. “I have been running Alibaba for 19 years and have achieved something, but there are still many things I hope to pursue, for example, in education and philanthropy.” Putin laughed and said, “You’re younger than me—I’m already 66!”
Constructive Dialogue
According to mainland Chinese media, during the conversation with the Russian president, Ma also put forward a number of proposals. Among them were: using e-commerce to boost efforts within the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthening China-Russia cooperation in technology, further developing trade, tourism, technology, and education sectors, as well as increasing support for small and medium-sized businesses and youth training.