Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd executive chairman Jack Ma said he's open to working with Apple Inc on mobile payments, as China's richest person prepares to call on Hollywood this week in search of media partners.
Alibaba affiliate Alipay is China's largest payments service, while Apple just this month debuted its own version of a mobile wallet, letting iPhone 6 users make payments at retailers with their smartphones.
Ma told a Wall Street Journal Digital Live conference on Monday that he has tremendous respect for Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"I hope we can do something together," he said when asked if Alipay and Apple Pay might tie up.
