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Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s absence from public view in the past two months, including the one he missed the final episode of a TV show in which he was to appear as a judge, has fueled speculation on social media. on his whereabouts amid a Chinese regulatory crackdown on his expansion. Business empire.
China’s highest-profile businessman has not appeared on public stage since a forum in late October in Shanghai where he criticized China’s regulatory system in a speech that put him on a collision course with officials, resulting in on the suspension of a $ 37 billion initial public offering of Alibaba’s Ant Group’s fintech arm.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Ma was replaced in November as a judge on the final episode of a game show for entrepreneurs called Africa’s Business Heroes.
READ MORE: The Jack Ma Foundation seeks out Africa’s business heroes
While news coverage of Jack Ma’s absence from public view sparked speculation on Twitter, which is blocked in China, it was not a significant trending topic on social media in mainland China, where sensitive topics are subject to censorship. . [Yuya Shino/Reuters] An Alibaba spokeswoman told Reuters news agency on Monday that the change was due to a scheduling conflict, and declined to comment further.
While news coverage of Ma’s absence from public view sparked speculation on Twitter, which is blocked in China, it was not a significant trending topic on social media in mainland China, where sensitive topics are subject to censorship.
Chinese regulators have focused on Ma’s business since his October speech. Regulators launched an antitrust investigation on Alibaba and ordered Ant to reorganize its loan and other consumer finance businesses, including creating a separate holding company to meet capital requirements.
READ ALSO: Jack Ma visits SA for the first time to speak with entrepreneurs
“I think he has been told to stay low,” said Duncan Clark, president of Beijing-based technology consultancy BDA China.
“This is quite a unique situation, more tied to the magnitude of Ant and the sensitivities about financial regulation,” he said.
Hong Kong-listed Alibaba shares fell 2.15 percent on Monday.
-Al Jazeera
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