After months away from public view — which fuelled speculation — Chinese billionaire Jack Ma resurfaced on Wednesday, and was seen addressing rural educators at an event that was streamed live.
Ma was not seen in public after he delivered a speech at a conference in Shanghai in October 2020, in which he took a jab at Chinese authorities. The absence was first noticed earlier this month, after the outspoken billionaire failed to appear in the final episode of Africa’s Business Heroes, a TV show in which he was to be a judge. The Alibaba Group, which Ma co-founded more than two decades ago, cited a scheduling conflict as reason for his absence.
Cheer at his return
Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares jumping over 6% on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The Alibaba Group plans to raise at least $5 billion through sale of US dollar-denominated bonds this month.
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