[ad_1]
BEIJING – Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s absence from public view in the past two months, including the loss of the final episode of a television 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 its expanding business empire.
China’s highest-profile businessman has not appeared on a 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. Fintech group arm.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Ma was replaced as a judge on the final November episode of a game show for entrepreneurs called Africa’s Business Heroes.
An Alibaba spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday the change was due to a scheduling conflict, declining 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, including launching an antitrust investigation into Alibaba and Ant’s order to reorganize its loan and other consumer finance businesses, including the creation of a separate holding company to meet capital requirements.
“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.
Alibaba shares listed in Hong Kong fell 2.15% on Monday. / JPV
Read next
Disclaimer: Comments uploaded to this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we consider incompatible with our editorial standards.
[ad_2]
