Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma shared the stage with Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai at the Valdai Club discussion panel in Sochi, Russia on Oct 19.

"Alibaba is a great company," Putin pointed out when introducing the head of the Chinese tech giant. He also praised Jack Ma as an entrepreneur with powerful leadership skills.

As the only entrepreneur invited this year, Ma shared the story of Alibaba's development in his speech, calling on both China and Russia to have more trust in the young generation.

"We should pay more attention to people under 30 and provide the young generation with more opportunities," he said.

"If we pay attention to small companies, we will see them become the agents of changes, and the global economy will be more sustainable."

Ma attended an opening and innovation forum with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on Oct 17. He was later invited to take a tour of Moscow State Institute on Oct 18.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Alibaba founder Jack Ma at the 14th annual Valdai Club meeting held in Sochi, Russia, Oct 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]