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US President Barack Obama is used to being on the receiving end of questions from reporters and ordinary people across the world. On Wednesday, Obama was given a rare opportunity to see what life is like on the other side. In a last minute change at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Obama decided he would be the one putting questions to Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, and Aisa Mijeno, a young Filipina entrepreneur who invented a lamp powered by salt water.

Reuters reported Obama as having "joked comfortably" with Ma, an internet billionaire whose company has revolutionised e-commerce, as well as Mijeno. The panel's theme focused on how government and established businesses could help entrepreneurs. Ma's response to how government could help? "Government is simple - just reduce the tax, or no tax, for these guys."

Obama then turned to Mijeno, to ask her how the public and private sector could help entrepreneurs like her. "We’re trying to mass-produce the lamps. We just need someone to fund us to get the project moving," she said. Obama with a smirk, quickly pointed to Ma (who is currently worth more than $22 billion), and said, "I'm just saying... Serving as matchmaker here, a little bit."