B20: Key role for China in revolutionary e-commerce platform

B20 member and Accenture chief executive Pierre Nanterme makes a point during the session 'The New Digital Context' in the congress centre at the Annual Meeting 2015 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jan 21, 2015. [Photo/IC]

The B20 international business summit has proposed a new e-trade platform to bring together small and medium-sized businesses from across the world.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, B20 member and Accenture chief executive Pierre Nanterme said the E World Trade Platform would create more jobs and new business opportunities.

"I am a strong believer that indeed e-commerce and e-trade will become the key enabler of global economy growth, as well (as) for the SMEs to access international trade," he said.

"That's why in the SME sector, we're proposing to create a platform called the E World Trade Platform that will bring together the SMEs across the world, reducing massively the cost of operation and transaction."

Nanterme said it would give SMEs the opportunity to participate and contribute to the world trade, through the e-commerce platform.

He said the B20 working group was finalizing a proposal to the G20.

"At this stage, it should be a private-led multi-stakeholder kind of approach. Public, private, also members potentially who could contribute like an organization, for example the OECD," he said.

"It's very important because the SME at the end of the day are the organization creating jobs. So the more they contribute to the world trade, the more they grow, the better it is for the employment market."

Nanterme said he believed China would play an important role in the platform and that he was impressed to have the opportunity to work with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's founder and chief executive Jack Ma.

"I was very impressed with the delegation of the Chinese business community," he said.

"Currently it's been a great pleasure to work with those Chinese colleagues, such as Alibaba's Jack Ma.

"Ma is a great leader. He is leading a fabulous company, it's a privileged opportunity to work side by side with him".

More details will be released in September when the organization launches its initiative in China.