Billionaire Jack Ma Says Trump Must Work With China or Face ‘Disaster’

November 10, 2016

Alibaba founder Jack Ma is now suggesting that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump must work with China to prevent a so-called “disaster.”

The billionaire retail magnate gave his opinion in an interview with CNN, stating that if the world’s top two economies have a healthy and positive relationship, a lot of problems could be solved.

“But if they don’t work with each other it’s going to be [a] disaster,” Ma was quoted by CNN on Wednesday.

According to Ma, he is positive that Trump will not act on the threats he made against China during the presidential campaign. Trump has previously stated that he is ready to brand China as a currency manipulator on his first day on his term, while promising to enact additional tariffs on China’s exports.

“I don’t fear [a Trump presidency], I think a healthy and positive China-U.S. relationship is so critical,” Ma said.

He said that there is a huge difference between Trump’s campaign rhetoric and him being the actual U.S. president.

“Every time they talk about it. But I think when they become president, when he has that burden … the world is not as simple as he thought,” Ma said.

“He’s a smart person, he will adjust,” he explained. “He will never neglect the relationship between China and America.”

Ma expressed his willingness to meet Trump in the future, stating that the new administration’s focus should primarily be on trade and globalization to ensure more jobs are created. He also emphasized the importance of improving the understanding between America and China.

“We need to respect each other’s culture and we should forget about what we have been doing in the last century,” Ma said.

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