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Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, was sighted at a remote island this week. The Chinese billionaire was said to be playing golf when he was spotted.
Sightings of Jack Ma is making news because he vanished in October last year and only surfaced in public last month. His first appearance was not even live because he was only seen in a video clip that was published and circulated on social media.
Jack Ma’s second sighting
While there is a rumor that states the Alibaba chief has been imprisoned after delivering his speech in October where he criticized the Chinese government, he also called for reforms, and since then, he has not been seen in public.
The billionaire’s Ant Group also faced troubles after it was accused of monopoly. Jack Ma’s company was also subjected to an anti-trust probe.
In any case, Time reported that Jack Ma was seen at the Sun Valley Golf Resort and he was golfing. The 27-hole course is a secluded place on the Chinese island of Hainan, and it was not mentioned if he has company at that time.
The sighting was recent, but there were no photos of the event. This is the second time that the public saw Jack Ma. His first appearance since last year was on Jan. 20, when he greeted the teachers from the foundation that he has been supporting. At that time, the businessman also told the teachers that he is hoping to meet them again after the pandemic.
"We cannot meet in Sanya due to the epidemic," he said in the video. "When the epidemic is over, we must find time to make up for everyone's trip to Sanya, and then we will meet again!"
At any rate, the Jack Ma Foundation spokesperson confirmed that Jack Ma held a short conference call with the teachers as he greeted them for the annual Rural Teacher Initiative ceremony. The rural teachers also got cash incentives from the foundation for their accomplishments.
China continues to distance itself from Jack Ma
Meanwhile, it is becoming more apparent that China is distancing itself from Jack Ma since his October speech. This was proven when his name was omitted when China’s state newspaper published a list of Chinese business leaders early this month.
The Alibaba founder was surprisingly not included when he is one of the businessmen in the country that has brought in prestige and money. This is the first time that his name was missing from the list, so it is obvious that Beijing is not favoring him any longer.
