Alibaba Founder Jack Ma Due In Israel To Meet With PM, Visit R&D Center

April 30, 2018 | The founder and chairman of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is set to arrive in Israel this week. The itinerary for the trip is being kept under wraps but Globes reported that Ma and members of his entourage will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen. Ma is also expected to visit Alibaba’s new R&D center in Tel Aviv, following the acquisition late last year of Israel-based QR code startup Visualead LTD for an undisclosed amount, said to be in the tens of millions of dollars. Alibaba has previously invested in Visualead and a number of other Israeli startups. The Chinese entrepreneur will also be awarded an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University and will give a talk to students there on Thursday. This will be Ma’s first visit to Israel.