He had not given any sign of life since last October after a critical speech against the Beijing regime.

The famous Chinese billionaire Jack Ma finally appeared in public, Wednesday, January 20, during a videoconference interview with a hundred teachers in rural areas of China.

The information was reported by Tianmu News, a news site affiliated with an official news group, as Jack Ma's disappearance from the public eye fueled speculation.

A mysterious absence

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the founder of the Chinese giant Alibaba had come to light during a reality show in early January.

Jack Ma had been replaced as judge for the last episode of "Africa's Business Heroes", a show to the glory of African entrepreneurs, which he had however created himself, according to the Financial Times.

The show, which was originally scheduled to air in late November, was postponed until the spring and producers confirmed Jack Ma's absence, officially due to a "scheduling conflict."

But the billionaire didn't just miss the last of his show.

His name has also been deleted from "Africa's Business Heroes" website, and the promotional clip for this reality show no longer makes any reference to the founder of Alibaba.

A purge that does not fit well with the explanation of a simple scheduling problem.

Especially since Jack Ma has also disappeared from Twitter, a medium he particularly likes.

His last post on the microblogging platform dates back to October 10.

Asked by several media about this strange radio silence, Alibaba refused to comment on the "rumors" about this increasingly visible disappearance.

Many fear that he has suffered the full brunt of Beijing's wrath.

Jack Ma had indeed not given any sign of life since a surprisingly critical speech against the authorities delivered in Shanghai on October 24, 2020. In front of an audience of Chinese entrepreneurs and politicians, he notably attacked public banks and called for the establishment of a "healthier financial system".

With Reuters

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