The founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, Jack Ma, has returned to China after an absence of more than a year, the Hong Kong daily newspaper South China Morning Post reported.
The businessman disappeared from Chinese public life in 2020 after he criticized the country’s financial supervision system, after Chinese regulators suspended the initial public offering of Ant Group, technology company for the financial sector of Alibaba, under more restrictive regulations. for the sector.
Since then, Ma has kept a low profile. Several international media have written about trips he has taken abroad, including Spain, Thailand and Japan.
The Chinese tycoon, who was speculated to be detained, today visited a school in the eastern city of Hangzhou, founded by Alibaba executives in 2017, according to an exclusive report by the South China Morning Post.
Ma, who left Alibaba’s presidency in 2019, discussed issues such as education and artificial intelligence during the visit, according to the newspaper.
The value of shares in the e-commerce giant rose 4.28% shortly after 1:00 pm local time (6:00 am in Lisbon) on the Hong Kong stock exchange, where it is listed.
Beijing allowed the technology sector to grow for years without strict regulation, but in 2020 it began a control campaign that has resulted in heavy penalties for several companies in the sector in recent years.
*With Lusa
