But time for a deal to be struck is short it seems. "In today's environment, all the blooming beautiful flowers can withdraw very quickly and time is precious for all of us involved," he said. "I wish I could give you an answer but it's not on my side now -- it's on Yahoo."

Ironically on the same stage a few moments before Ma, was Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo, who was coy in his comments on any possible buyouts or takeovers.