Jack Ma, the businessman behind Alibaba, has reemerged from retirement after five years, and as a result, there has been widespread interest in his appearance. Ma met President Xi Jinping in China, provoking rumors surrounding China's latest strategy.
China's new policy can include being softer on its tech titans, which have come under aggressive scrutiny and regulation over the last few years. The encounter between Ma and Xi Jinping can be a pointer to the fact that China wants to restore balance to its relationship with the private sector and fuel economic growth.
The meaning of Ma's public return and his meeting with Xi Jinping is important, both for the economic future of China and for the business world globally. As China manages its complicated economic environment, Ma's return to the limelight could herald a new age of collaboration between the government and the private sector ¹.