Dear Editor, I cannot believe the extent of negativity I’m reading on this trail regarding Jack Ma’s visit to our island and judgements passed based on hearsay and assumption. All you need to do is read up on Mr Ma’s Foundation and the huge financial support the foundation has given that spans over almost 10 years (and I’m not talking $millions, but $billions) to support education for teachers and students in the most rural and remote areas, funding for women empowerment, created thousands of jobs, helped eradicate poverty in China and then in 2020 spent millions on research towards a cure for COVID-19.

Teiea to tatou tu Kuki Airani i te arikiriki i teia au taeake turoto noatu e noea mai ratou? Eaa nei, #kiaoranvalues! No reira eiaa e aru ua i te kokoa'nga tai. Ni hui lai zhong guo qu li jie!

Mona Mato

(Facebook)

These racist comments on this (Facebook) thread though, no shame. If it was a non-Chinese billionaire like Bill Gates, I’m sure the comments would be very different and that’s so embarrassing and quite frankly, disgusting. Te akama.

Mouroa Hosea

(Facebook)

Thank you ra e Jack Ma for Ali Express. I bought a lot from there and yes, it’s a good site for a business side hustles in selling and buying. I wish I can meet you in person because I personally got a lot of questions to ask but I think that’s what email is for.

Rouru Kimmy Auua

(Facebook)

I hope he has as much fun as me and my Samoan husband did. Rarotonga is so beautiful and the people on the island are so friendly! But reading some responses on here (Facebook) about this man is quite disheartening.

Billionaire or not – anyone coming to this beautiful island generates income into the businesses which creates jobs people depend on in order to survive. Covid shut the Cook Islands down completely, that was sad to watch for businesses and our people. If he’s there for a holiday and comes across this article the way us tourists have just now – my goodness.

Tere Kavana

(Facebook)

Some rather racist closed minds surfacing here (Facebook) not even knowing your own Polynesian history of Chinese integration over millennia. Those fielding these negative comments seemingly are of the ‘victimhood’ ‘handout’ mentality, and a specially those who comment that those outside our islands should ‘zip up’ or keep quiet! Yeah sure, that’s real Kiev Nazi communist stuff. The positive minded and business minded, will see this as one of the biggest most important unofficial visits by anyone that’s visited our islands. Locals should be out greeting and welcoming him with open arms. But we only see that reception with the most corrupt politicians and hoodlums you could ever bump into in your life … where they’re grovelling at the feet of these high-profile lowlifes, who with their dark agendas are proven enemies of concerned sound minded men and woman.

The Chinese and other Asians would see our islands as certainly a place to visit as well as invest in the local economy, if they heard of a good report from Jack Ma. There could be so much boost to our islands, locals may not be able to cope.

Warren Wichman

(Facebook)