Jack Ma scraps his pledge to create 1 million U.S. jobs. But was it ever serious?

Alibaba founder Jack Ma poses for photos with then President-elect Trump during the transition. Credit: Ryan Brooks

 Chinese technology titan Jack Ma emerged from a meeting at Trump Tower last year with a bold promise: His e-commerce giant Alibaba would help Donald Trump create a million American jobs.

But now Ma has scrapped the pledge, saying that an escalating trade war has wrecked it.

“The promise was made on the premise of friendly U.S.-China partnership and rational trade relations,” the celebrity billionaire told Chinese state media Wednesday. “That premise no longer exists today, so our promise cannot be fulfilled.”

View the complete September 20 article by Danielle Paquette on the Washington Post website here.