Jack Ma: The billionaire doing his best to stop coronavirus (and fix China's reputation).
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Jack Ma,the richest man in China opened his own Twitter account last month, in the middle of the Covid-19 outbreak. So far, most of his posts has been devoted to his unrivalled campaign to deliver medical supplies to almost every country around the world.
Following donations to 150+ countries & regions, we will provide 100M masks, 1M N95 masks, and 1M test kits to @WHO. The supplies will be distributed to those in most need. Together, we must move faster and with confidence to overcome this global challenge. #OneWorldOneFight
— Jack Ma (@JackMa) April 21, 2020
"One world, one fight!" Jack Ma enthused in one of his first messages. "Together, we can do this!" he cheered in another.
Ma is the driving force behind a widespread operation to ship medical supplies to more than 150 countries so far, sending face masks and ventilators to many places that have been elbowed out of the global brawl over life-saving equipment.
Starting in March, the Jack Ma foundation and the related Alibaba foundation began airlifting supplies to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and even to politically sensitive areas including Iran, Israel, Russia and the US.
Calling all African medical experts! Chinese frontline doctors are online & ready to share hard-earned lessons. Time is running out, but we can help minimize the outbreak by collaborating. Africa can win this war. Join us at https://t.co/p4pKSzBq0j #OneWorldOneFight
— Jack Ma (@JackMa) April 3, 2020
Ma has also donated millions to coronavirus vaccine research and a handbook of medical expertise from doctors in his native Zhejiang province has been translated from Chinese into 16 languages. But it's the medical shipments that have been making headlines, setting Ma apart.
Knowledge is power! Yesterday, we hosted our first COVID-19 China-Africa GMCC webinar. The 2nd Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang Univ. joined Ethiopia's Health Minister, St. Paul’s Hospital and 20+ Ethiopian hospitals online. More webinars to come with Rwanda, Zimbabwe & others! (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Av48Vv84u3
— Jack Ma (@JackMa) April 11, 2020
A second handbook, which focuses on hospital response strategy and frontline treatment experience, is now available. We hope it will be another valuable resource for doctors around the world. Please help share! (2/2) #OneWorldOneFight https://t.co/p4pKSzBq0j pic.twitter.com/BMaipMfe8p
— Jack Ma (@JackMa) April 11, 2020
Jack Ma is famous for being the charismatic English teacher who went on to create China's biggest technology company. Alibaba is now known as the "Amazon of the East". Ma started the company inside his tiny apartment in the Chinese coastal city of Hangzhou, in the centre of China's factory belt, back in 1999. Alibaba has since grown to become one of the dominant players in the world's second largest economy, with key stakes in China's online, banking and entertainment worlds. Ma himself is worth more than $40bn.
Officially, he stepped down as Alibaba's chairman in 2018. He said he was going to focus on philanthropy. But Ma retained a permanent seat on Alibaba's board. Coupled with his wealth and fame, he remains one of the most powerful men in China.
Additional Reporting by BBC.