SURPRISE: Alibaba’s Jack Ma outed as a member of the Communist Party

Alibaba
Group Chairman Jack Ma attends 2018 Alibaba Xin Philanthropy
Conference on September 5, 2018 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of
China.
VCG/VCG via Getty
Images

• Creator of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and China’s
  wealthiest person alive has been outed by Chinese media as
  a member of China’s Communist Party.
• Speculation about Ma’s ties to the Chinese government
  have long been discussed, though he has often kept his distance
  from Beijing in his public comments.
• On Monday, state-run People’s
  Daily wrote that the Communist Party would be honoring
  100 people, including Ma and two other internet-tech moguls,
  for their contributions to China’s economy.
• Experts say the revelation is a reminder of how
  President Xi Jinping is pushing Communist Party loyalty
  into every aspect of Chinese society and its economy.

Creator of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, and the
country’s wealthiest person alive, has been outed by state
media as a member of the
Communist Party of China (CPC).

Speculation about Ma’s ties to the Chinese government has long
been discussed, though he has often kept his distance from
Beijing in his public comments.

And while his e-commerce company has previously raised money by
selling shares to firms linked
to the CPC, Ma has described his relationship with the
government as: “Love
them, but don’t marry them.”

But on Monday, state-run People’s
Daily wrote that the CPC would be honoring 100 people,
including Ma and two other internet-tech moguls, for their
contributions to China’s economy.

The publication specifically referred to Ma as a “CPC member” and
said that Ma had been listed as a “huge driving force for
domestic demand” as head of Alibaba Group.

“Under his leadership, Alibaba ranks among the top 10
global companies in terms of market value, making China a leading
player in the international e-commerce industry, internet finance
and cloud computing, spawning a large number of entrepreneurs and
start-ups,” People’s Daily wrote, citing a government statement
discussing the award. 

The article also lists Robin Li, CEO of Baidu,
China’s top search engine, and Pony Ma, chairman of
internet giant Tencent Holdings, as recipients of the honor. The
article specifically refers to Li and Ma as
“non-partisan.”

Bill Bishop, publisher of China newsletter Sinocism, says
the revelation about Ma isn’t surprising to many who have
followed his Alibaba’s successful catapult into the global
market.

“No one doubted that Alibaba had to be close to the CPC to
survive,” Bishop told Business Insider, though he noted that
other Chinese tech moguls have been able to build successful
companies without pledging their support.

Bishop added that while Ma decided to
step down as chairman of the e-commerce giant in September
2019, the revelation of Ma’s close ties to the Chinese
government will likely continue through Alibaba. 

“It’s just another reminder that Alibaba has to be
close to the CPC, and given how President Xi Jinping is pushing
the party back into every aspect of business and life,” Bishop
continued, “it will only give ammunition to regulators who are
already worried about Chinese firms.”

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