Jack Ma: Alibaba will always stick to its mission

Alibaba will last 102 years, and never change its mission of making it easier to do business anywhere, said Jack Ma in his final letter to shareholders as the firm's chairman on Tuesday.

In next 20 years, Alibaba will provide services to 1 billion customers around the world, and help 10 million middle- and small-sized enterprises to create 100 million jobs, according to Ma's letter.

Ma said the firm is close to its target to complete $1 trillion of gross merchandise volume as Alibaba marks its 20th anniversary in 2019.

Alibaba is adept at weathering adversity, although some uncertainties create increased risk to the global economy recently, according to the letter. This is the third time in Alibaba's 19-year history that the firm has encountered a setback in the global economy; there are huge opportunities behind the anxiety and friction, Ma said.

Alibaba has shifted to be a technology company nine years ago. The firm's data science, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things will create enormous value for the manufacturing, retail and financial sectors, and will use these technologies to empower manufacturing enterprises to tackle challenges, Ma said.

About himself, Ma said he will devote more time and effort to education, philanthropy and the environment, and will forever belong to Alibaba.

Alibaba's shareholder meeting will kick off in Hong Kong on Wednesday. In next September, Zhang Yong, CEO of Alibaba will take over Jack Ma, to become the firm's chairman.

According to Zhang's letter to shareholders, Alibaba's core commerce reached $760 billion of gross merchandise volume by March 31, the group's revenue increased 58 percent year-on-year.

Zhang said Alibaba aims to create real global platform to realize goods move freely around the world to instead of just from China to the world.