Alibaba job boom: Jack Ma chats with Trump about how to create 1 million US jobs over 5 years

a reply to: seeker1963


you're too much...

when I said I couldn't COMPETE with china's LOW PRICES, why did you tell me I should save??? can you explain?

a reply to: nwtrucker

Up til now, and I can remember back to Reagan, this is the first president that acts like he gives a crap if you can pay your rent.

a reply to: Jiggly

The story says wine fruit and apparel. I don't know how much apparel is made in the US, but the others are very big business.

Alibaba is the number 1 supplier to people running Ebay Stores. There will be a bit of a shakeup if they source directly with consumers. They are really one of the biggest headaches already for small businesses in the US that make small parts and electronic components.

So we are trading Amazon for the knock off Chinese version? Why am I not surprised.

originally posted by: Pyle
So we are trading Amazon for the knock off Chinese version? Why am I not surprised.

I'm more surprised at how everyone's practically prostrating at China's feet over this, after years of tarring & feathering over Chinese companies investing in Africa and buying property in the US.

Funny how that all changes when the narrative appeals.

a reply to: charlyv

They already do sell directly to the consumer. This is why 80% of certain items are shipped from China and it takes a month to get the products.

a reply to: Pyle

Are you talking products? Or the company that ships it?

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: charlyv

They already do sell directly to the consumer. This is why 80% of certain items are shipped from China and it takes a month to get the products.

They will sell to consumers, but it is certainly not their mainstay, nor is it really that economical when you have to wait that long. US Ebay Merchants buy from Alibaba in huge quantities to get enough price break to be able to compete with those that buy directly from China plus the fast ship of 3-4 days.

a reply to: charlyv

I am an ebay seller, and I know exactly what you are talking about. In fact I just ordered silicone wind shield wipers from a seller in china last night. I can't find US made wipers, and Napa-Auto zone all want BIG $ for wipers. So if they are all made there and I have no choice, I will buy direct.

I don't know what their main stay would be and I wonder how you would know.

a reply to: seasonal

Their mainstay is supply chain. Sure, you can benefit as a direct consumer, especially if you cannot get a good price here.
I was an engineer in eCommerce a while back.

I don't see how a huge Chinese company coming in creating distribution centers in America to cut out the middle man will help small business. Small American business are the middle man. Making Chinese goods even cheaper than they already are will also make it even harder for American goods producers to be competitive in America. As for small business being able to sell their goods to China that sounds like a pipe dream beyond wine and food and that's already happening without Alibaba.

I really don't see a market for small business in to sell to China through Alibaba. I'm willing to bet this will mostly be a one way deal like every other deal with China with lots of American business going under and jobs lost to create those 1 million jobs. I can see it creating a net job loss for America and lots of small American owned business having their market share taken by this Chinese mega corp.

a reply to: SirReadsAlot

You could very well be right, all we can hope for is that Trump appointments to his cabinet are as smart as he bragged about during the campaign.

a reply to: SirReadsAlot

That was kind of the point I was trying to make earlier on, but you did a better job!.

Cut-throat marketing is the way of the times. Just seeing what happened to Macy's, Sears, etc. recently. It is headed for a totally on-line consumer and this is the tip of the Iceberg. I hope that Trump understands that tarrif's, taxes and shipping have to be managed for this kind of trade so that small businesses can still compete. The ePacket deals that the US has with international shippers almost let's them ship near free presently. This , while great for hobbyists and small parts consumers in the US, is as big a deal as the cheap merchandise prices they offer. Rules and regulations need to be applied.

a reply to: seasonal

They are plenty smart but it is questionable if they care about Americans or America. I was a Trump supporter and probably still am but I can't ignore appointments like the #2 at Goldman Sachs to his economic team or the trade sec who disparaged American workers. Plans like this that appear to do the exact opposite of what needs to be done only add to my concerns.

The only way I see American producers getting strong again is through a period of protectionism. It's how China and Japan built their own production capabilities up. If you flood the market with cheap goods from already established producers it is impossible for domestic producers to compete. This plan has a bonus negative effect of putting American small business who now act as middle men out of business. It's hard to see any real positives in this.

a reply to: SirReadsAlot

We will see what the fine print has to say. Trump isn't stupid, I am surprised he didn't give Gingrich and Giuliani jobs in his admin.

I can only hope he knows what he is doing.

a reply to: SirReadsAlot

sounds like a pipe dream beyond wine and food and that's already happening without Alibaba.

That's a good question. What exactly is it that the Chinese middle class wants to buy that they are not buying already? Is it Ma's dream to have smaller companies sell this stuff already sold? If Ma is looking to expand into Southeast Asia, what American goods would be sold to them through Ma's portal? What is in the Midwest that he thinks we could sell through him?

China already is buying American food PRODUCTION, not just land. China Is Making a Major Play for American Farms and Farmland

More than 40 percent of China’s existing arable land has been degraded by pollution, acidification, and reduced fertility, China’s official news agency, Xinhua, reported in 2014.

I hope Ma just didn't play on Trump's vanity to make it seem like he was giving a tremendous amount of jobs but in return wants the US to layoff issues of counterfeiting and piracy. In China Trump is seen as an easy mark for a businessman: gullible, easily flattered, and too ostentatious with wealth. China's leaders have appraised Trump as weak and inexperienced for the job of leading a country. Hopefully, Robert Lighthizer, the pick for trade rep, will do what needs to be done with trade details; unlike other picks, he is viewed favorably by many.

a reply to: seasonal

To me it sounds like a continuation of what we have seen in the past. Short term gains due to creation and destruction of jobs that in the long term leads to a net loss for America. In fact it sounds worse than what we have seen in the past because they will own the distribution end as well as the production end.

a reply to: SirReadsAlot

I could see that, it is all about money. These big rich guys don't care if there is a bust here, they move like locusts to the next business to exploit, rape and kill.

a reply to: seasonal

It is only a matter of time until God Emperor Donald J. Trump is inaugurated. America and the West will be made great again, benefiting everyone within our(Western) borders. I await to see this come to be true.