Having had no sign of life for three months, Jack Ma took part in a video conference with teachers on Wednesday.
'Finally',
you might say. The world had remained without news of Jack Ma since
October 24 to be exact, after a rather critical outing on Chinese
economic policy. According to the testimonies, we could fear the worst
for the founder of Alibaba. But this Wednesday, January 20, he took part
in a videoconference with a hundred teachers from isolated corners of
China, he who was for a time an English teacher.
Jack Ma reappears to address his 'peers'
The information of the
reappearance of Jack Ma was reported by several Chinese journalists.
During the videoconference, the businessman regretted that the event,
usually physical, only takes place virtually this year. But he wished
his best wishes to teachers posted in rural areas of the country as the
Chinese New Year draws closer. Soon, the video was widely shared on
Weibo, the local Twitter.
Disappeared for more than two months,
many had imagined the worst for Jack Ma. Imprisonment or assassination,
speculation was rife. It must be said that the circumstances of his
absence were troubling to say the least.
After making his last
public appearance on October 24, 2020, not without taking a critical
stand against the economic workings of the Middle Kingdom, Jack Ma saw
the government take a keen interest in the activities of Alibaba, whose
nationalization by the state is rightly mentioned. The billionaire's
Fintech, Ant Group, is also in the sights of the authorities, who call
on the company to focus on its core business if it does not wish to be
heavily sanctioned.
A three-month absence that still questions
Furthermore, the most
disturbing sign regarding Jack Ma was the outright disappearance from
the shelves of the television show Africa's Business Hereos, which was
originally scheduled to air at the end of 2020. Member of the jury for
the edition 2019, the philanthropist was supposed to compete in the
final of the 2020 competition, but his portrait and name were removed
from the website as was his appearance in a promotional video for the
program. He was then replaced by Lucy Peng, who was until last August
the director of Ant Group.
If this news of Jack Ma reassures the
public, some questions remain. Why did this famous and wealthy boss not
deign to speak up to at least avoid speculation against him? The same
goes for Alibaba, which had not commented on the rumors related to the
disappearance of its founder.
The return of Jack Ma has in any
case been well received on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Alibaba Group
shares jumped about 9% today.
Source : Reuteurs
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