Alibaba to host women entrepreneurs summit

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced on Tuesday it will hold a global women's conference to discuss how to help female professionals start their own businesses.

Themed "SHE-ERA", the meeting is set to be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou from May 20 to 21. It will invite global female celebrities to share their opinions on how to facilitate women entrepreneurs as the world shifts from the information-technology era to a time when data is more important.

Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, and Liu Qing, president of the recently merged taxi-hailing company Didi Kuaidi Dache, will attend the conference, the company said in a statement.

Attendants will also include US actress Jessica Alba, who successfully branched out into commercial world by setting up her own enterprise.

At the two-day meeting, participants will also discuss the opportunities and challenges brought by the Internet for women entrepreneurs, as well as how women can shape the world by better interacting with the commercial sector.

"The Internet economy is about experiencing, and women have a natural edge in feeling the world," said Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, who will be the only male participant at the meeting. "The Internet gives an opportunity for independent women to pursue their dreams along with their male counterparts."