Alibaba boss woos Taiwan youth to start businesses on mainland

Taipei

ANTI-BEIJING protesters chanted slogans outside a high-level business meeting in Taiwan on Monday where the founder of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba called on the island's youth to start businesses on the mainland.

Trade with China is a particularly sensitive topic as fears grow over the mainland's increased influence on Taiwan - a factor which contributed to the ruling Beijing-friendly party's worst-ever polls defeat at recent local elections in Taiwan. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who recently became Asia's richest man, was addressing business leaders from China and Taiwan to tie in with an eight-day visit by a top Chinese envoy.