Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma has been touring Dutch research institutions to pursue his interests in agriculture technology, Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP)reported, quoting people familiar with his trip.
The Chinese billionaire has largely been out of public view since he publicly criticised China’s regulatory system in a speech last year. His empire promptly came under heavy scrutiny from regulators and the $37 billion blockbuster IPO of his fintech affiliate Ant Group was suspended.
Ma, once China’s most famous and outspoken entrepreneur, reappeared in Hong Kong in October, where he met at least “a few” business associates over meals, two sources told Reuters.
He then flew to the Spanish island of Mallorca, where his luxury yacht is anchored, his first trip abroad since he fell out with Chinese regulators, two Spanish newspapers reported last week.
The billionaire, who retired as Alibaba’s chairman in 2019, will continue touring European companies and research institutions involved in agricultural infrastructure and plant breeding, according to people familiar with his plans, SCMP reported.
Ma believed combining the technology he researched with Alibaba’s cloud computing, big data analysis and artificial intelligence could help modernise Chinese agriculture, the people told SCMP.
Reuters
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