Aliexpress Russia could be a match made in heaven

A version of this article first appeared on China Economic Review, a leading voice in China’s business world for over 25 years.

Alibaba offered the tech world a double-whammy in the last fortnight, first with the ceremonial passing of the torch from chairman Jack Ma in a heartfelt open letter, then with the unexpected signing of a joint venture arrangement with Russia’s leading tech player a week afterwards.

The deal with Mail.ru — a wide-reaching media conglomerate that could be described for the sake of drawing a parallel as “the Russian Alibaba” — may not have taken over the headlines with the same potency as Ma’s retirement, but based on what it could mean for the parties involved, it probably should have.

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