Titans join hands to take on Ma

Jack Ma, chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, seems to be feeling on top of the world at the moment, and not without reason. He has just been listed as China's richest individual, and his e-commerce conglomerate has made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange as the largest IPO in history.

His Hangzhou-based Alibaba is the dominant player in China's large and still rapidly growing e-commerce market, but Ma is not necessarily guaranteed his place on top of the pile, particularly with adversaries such as the country's second, third and fourth richest men snapping at his heels.

Real estate entrepreneur Wang Jianlin, the fourth richest individual in the country and the wealthiest last year, announced a 5 billion yuan ($813 million) joint investment in e-commerce at the end of August with Internet magnates Pony Ma, the second-richest person in China, and Robin Li, the third richest.