Jack Ma, founder of the Chinese company Alibaba, and an open critic of the Chinese government, recently made headlines after his whereabouts came under question.
Ma has reportedly been missing for over two months since his last rift with the Central Communist Party government, or the CCP, led by President Xi Jinping. Speculations first arose when Ma wasn’t in attendance as a judge for his own talent show, ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’.
In a speech at the Shanghai Bank in October, Ma openly criticized the state-owned banks and the system of financial regulation adopted by the country. It is believed that ever since then, Ma has not made a single public appearance.
The final nail in the coffin was his absence for the final episode of his own talent show, after which Twitter started asking the questions.
Just last week, the Chinese government started an antitrust investigation against Alibaba, accusing the company of promoting anticompetitive values in the booming internet space of China. Ma going missing amidst all this raises severe questions about the speculated government control in the country and the restrictions on the media’s functioning.
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