BEIJING: Shares in internet giant Alibaba soared more than 8% Wednesday after billionaire founder Jack Ma made his first public appearance since November, ending weeks of speculation about his whereabouts after the company took a kicking from Chinese regulators.
Ma — one of Asia’s richest people with a fortune estimated at around $58 billion — disappeared from the public eye after he was hauled in front of regulators for an October speech critical of China’s financial system.
Shortly afterwards, the record-breaking $37 billion IPO of his financial group Ant was spiked at the last minute by mainland officials in a shock move that some saw as retaliation for Ma’s outspokenness.
China’s…
