 "Jack Ma, executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, delivers a speech titled \"A Conversation on Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Globalization\" at Foreign Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand. AP | PTI")
Ever since Jack Ma’s Alibaba took control of Lazada in a $1 billion deal last year, there’s been speculation about what the e-commerce titan might do next.
I think the natural choice is Daraz, an online store for Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, which encompasses a combined market worth $610 billion.
Here’s how acquiring Daraz fits in.
First, Chinese companies aren’t averse to following their government’s lead. McKinsey notes that “government policy continues to be the critical shaping force” of the economy, with the state “possessing levers” to dictate the pace of economic growth.
The government’s pivot to Africa
