Indonesian President Joko Widodo has invited Jack Ma to be an economic advisor to develop the country's e-commerce industry.

Widodo made the invitation to the Alibaba Group founder during his visit to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, for the G20 summit last week, Fortune reported. Indonesia’s Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said the effort to enlist support from Asia’s richest man is aimed at bringing Indonesia's big potential in e-commerce to the world market. 

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Indonesia has the world's fourth-largest population. The country boasts of a young, internet-savvy demographic. Its e-commerce market is thriving and is increasingly attracting global investors. To promote the growth in Indonesia's e-commerce sector, the government is developing a steering committee consisting of 10 ministers. This is the committee that Alibaba's Ma has been asked to advise.

“The thinking behind this is to make Indonesia's positioning in the international marketplace more prominent,” Rudiantara said in a video released by the state secretariat.

Indonesia has 56 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Widodo aims to boost the cooperation between SMEs in Indonesia and Alibaba can help them enter the Chinese and the global market, according to China Daily.

The Indonesian government's support for SMEs is in line with Alibaba's, according to Ma. Ma said that Indonesia has a big shot in e-commerce with its large population and the number of SMEs it has. He noted that Alibaba's business model is suitable for the Indonesian market.

An Alibaba spokeswoman confirmed that Ma was asked to be an economic advisor to Indonesia’s e-commerce plan but did comment on whether he has accepted the offer.

TagsIndonesia, Pres. Widodo, G20 summit, Jack Ma, Alibaba, e-commerce, Jack Ma Indonesia