China: reappearance of the discreet Jack Ma, millionaire founder of Alibaba

Alibaba founder Jack Ma was seen on Monday, March 27 during a visit to a school in the east of the country. REUTERS - Charles Platiau

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Jack Ma back, in China. The founder of Alibaba was seen Monday, March 27 during a visit to a school in the east of the country. A "return" from exile for the most famous Chinese pensioner, which could be a sign of a political easing towards the e-commerce giant.

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With our correspondent in Beijing, Stéphane Lagarde

As often, after a media disappearance, returns are discreet in China. No hint in the major Chinese state media on Monday, March 2, only social networks and some online news sites take up the news. Like two years ago, the former English teacher is making his comeback via a visit to a school, a kindergarten to high school funded by Alibaba in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province where the company is headquartered.

Study of agricultural techniques

Wearing a white sweatshirt, white cap, black pants and slippers, Jack Ma was photographed conversing with teachers and students. According to the school's WeChat account, the exchange would have focused on education issues and artificial intelligence, including ChatGPT.

This return, even discreet, does not go unnoticed by the business world alert on everything concerning the former CEO of the e-commerce giant. Since retiring for his 55th birthday in 2019, Ma has limited his public statements. Officially, the retiree traveled to several countries to learn about different farming techniques. He is also passionate about art. Before arriving in mainland China, he made a brief stop at Hong Kong's Art Basel fair, reports the South China Morning Post, a newspaper owned by Alibaba.

Reassuring investors

This discretion contrasts with the personality of the billionaire, once very exposed. In 2020, a few days before the IPO attempt of Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba, Jack Ma had publicly attacked the Chinese regulator and banks. Remarks that had triggered a vast campaign of repression against the Chinese tech sector. Today, the page seems turned. The authorities hope that this reappearance will reassure investors on the eve of the opening of the Boao Forum, also known as Chinese Davos in the island province of Hainan. Since the lifting of health restrictions last December, Beijing has made reviving the economy a priority, after three years of "Zero Covid" closure. In recent times, several senior Communist Party officials in Zhejiang visited the company's headquarters, the FT reports, to sign a strategic agreement.

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