How China's Government Set Up Alibaba's Success

China isn’t big enough for Alibaba. The e-commerce company has ambitions to expand far beyond China, and by filing yesterday for its initial public offering in the U.S., Alibaba has moved closer to that goal. It could raise as much as $20 billion, making it the biggest-ever U.S. IPO.

As Co-founder and Chairman Jack Ma expands his business around the world, he’ll have a group of influential fans in Beijing. Chinese government officials are eager for a local company to break into the ranks of tech’s global elite, and the huge payoff for Alibaba will highlight just how valuable official Chinese support can be. Alibaba’s rise has been propelled by government policies that have made China a very inhospitable place for U.S. companies—and provided local champions such as Alibaba with the space they need to become viable players globally.