(File photo)
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) plans to award founders of the country's three internet giants, Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba for their contributions to the reform and opening up.
Baidu's Robin Li, Tencent's Pony Ma and Alibaba Jack Ma are among the 100 people the CPC Central Committee will honor following a selection process, according to the list published on People’s Daily Monday.
Ma, 54, a CPC member, has been a huge driving force for domestic demand, said a statement under his name.
The jury office also listed his achievements: Internet payment and logistics systems mobile payment network, independent research and development of Alibaba Cloud, and Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP).
“Under his leadership, Alibaba ranks among the top 10 global companies in terms of market value, making China a leading player in the international e-commerce industry, internet finance and cloud computing, spawning a large number of entrepreneurs and start-ups,” it said.
The 100 names are the elite from all walks of life, including entrepreneurs, Party officials, economists, scientists, astronauts and artists. Most are CPC members, and some like Robin Li and Pony Ma are non-partisan.
Yao Ming, a retired professional basketball player, and Lang Ping, a former Chinese volleyball player and the current head coach of China women's national volleyball team, are also on the list.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.
The list is being made public for review until November 30. Citizens are welcome to comment on the list through phone, fax, letter or e-mail.