In what could be characterized as a major corporate reconciliation, Alibaba Group announced that eBay CEO John Donahoe would be a keynote speaker at its annual Netrepreneur Summit in Hangzhou on September 10, 2010. It's a far cry from the days when eBay banned Alibaba from participating in its community conferences due to the rivalry between the two companies in China. eBay had said, whoever wins in China, will win the world - before it lost its battle with Alibaba's TaoBao C2C marketplace.

But current CEO John Donahoe has taken a softer stance than his predecessor Meg Whitman, and Alibaba announced in the spring it would begin accepting eBay's PayPal payment service on AliExpress, its U.S. product-sourcing marketplace.

Donahoe will share with Summit attendees his views on the future of global ecommerce and the opportunities and challenges small businesses entrepreneurs will face as a result. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will also present a keynote speech.

The Netrepreneur Summit takes place during the annual AliFest hosted by Alibaba Group in Hangzhou, China, which also features the 5th Net Products Trade Fair and the Social Responsibility Evening.

Alibaba Group is the parent company of publicly-trade Alibaba.com, which recently acquired eBay service provider Vendio.