Australia's clean environment is its next "gold mine", the founder of the world's largest e-commerce business told the launch of its new Australian and New Zealand headquarters.
Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma was swamped by business delegates who wanted to pose with him for selfies at Saturday's launch at Melbourne's Park Hyatt hotel.
The former English teacher from Hangzhou, China, used his speech to encourage Australian and New Zealand businesses to seek growth abroad.
Alibaba is an online marketplace, much like eBay but on a much larger scale.
Mr Ma told more than 300 industry, business and government figures the "gold mine" for Australia and New Zealand in the next two decades was its clean water, soil and air.
"I really admire Australia and New Zealand for protecting the environment," he said.
"This is the most unique asset."
It was in vast contrast to China, where the environment suffered in recent decades.
"Through lack of experience, we've got a terrible polluted environment and a lot of things we have to import."
Mr Ma detailed Alibaba's rise 18 years ago from 18 people in his apartment, to a global e-commerce giant with hundreds of millions of customers and gross annual sales that hit US$560 billion in 2016.
Forbes estimates Mr Ma's worth alone at $37 billion.
Mr Ma said China presented enormous opportunity, as its economy moved from exporting to importing and where the middle class is expected to swell to close to 500 million in the next 15 years.
"Domestic consumption will be huge," he said. "We need high quality products and services that China will not be able to supply alone."
He said Australia and New Zealand's "simplicity of life" and respect for culture were its most important assets that China could benefit from.
So far there are over 1300 Australian brands and 400 New Zealand brands on Alibaba platforms, many of which entered China for the first time through its businesses.
The new local headquarters in Melbourne's Collins Street, aims to better help Australian and New Zealand businesses share their products with billions of global customers.
Mr Ma said he owed his success to empowering small business, which was the "centre of innovation" and created the most jobs.
The Alibaba Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with Australia Post to strengthen trade opportunities and announced a $26 million scholarship program at the University of Newcastle.
Saturday's launch was attended by Federal Industry Minister Arthur Sinodinos, Premier Daniel Andrews, New Zealand Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and China's ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye.
