Alibaba founder and chairman Jack Ma landed in Israel this morning accompanied by 35 senior executives from the Chinese tech giant - a relatively large delegation for this kind of visit. The visit began with a visit to the Dead Sea with Ma reportedly floating in the water, Globes reports.
Sources inform "Globes" that Ma requested an emphasis on matters related to Jewish heritage and the Jewish people's return to its homeland. On Wednesday, for example, the delegation will visit the Israel Museum in Jerusalem for a tour and lunch. The Israel Museum was chosen by Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen. A business forum with investors will also be held at the museum complex.
Ma will also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Economy and Industry. The delegation will visit the offices of venture capital fund Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) and on Thursday evening Ma will receive an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University. Earlier on the same day, he will meet students and Tel Aviv University graduates in a question and answer session. Tel Aviv University said that Ma will meet the university's management and leading researchers in such areas as artificial intelligence, computer sciences and engineering.
Ma can also be expected to visit Alibaba's recently opened Israel development center, which is based around its acquisition of Israeli QR code startup Visualead last November.