Jack Ma has been seen in Australia, the latest stop on a monthslong global jaunt and one that has particular emotional resonance for the billionaire Alibaba co-founder.
The entrepreneur was spotted at a hotel in Melbourne in recent days and was later confirmed to be spending time in the country, China¡¯s Yicai media outlet cited anonymous sources as saying. Snapshots of the Alibaba Group Holding co-founder surfaced on Twitter, though Bloomberg News hasn¡¯t verified their authenticity.
While his itinerary remains unclear, Ma was close to the Morley family, which in the 1980s played a major role in shaping his future when they invited the then-teenager to visit Newcastle, New South Wales. Ma stayed in touch with the Morleys and in 2017 set up a $20 million university scholarship fund in his late mentor Ken Morley¡¯s name.
Ma has since late 2022 gradually resumed the globetrotting that once defined China¡¯s best-known entrepreneur. He spent time in Tokyo and the Japanese countryside before making his way to Thailand, where he toured foodie spots and reportedly took in a Muay Thai boxing match. He turned up in Hong Kong last month to meet finance and tech executives, local media reported.
The former executive ¡ª among China¡¯s most recognizable faces ¡ª has been on the move just as signs have emerged that Beijing is relenting on a campaign to curtail the influence and power of internet giants. In January, Ma ceded controlling rights to his Ant Group fintech empire, which many observers took as a signal that the punishing crackdown was nearing an end.
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