The news of Jack Ma, who has disappeared since two months ago, certainly raises many questions. However, the public believes that Jack Ma’s disappearance was due to the tensions between Ma and China President Xi Jin Ping. Apparently, there are 4 other billionaires who have also been silenced by Beijing.
Jack Ma
Jack Ma mysteriously disappeared from his reality television show after criticizing China’s financial regulatory system. He also slipped to third on the list of richest people in China.
Jack Ma is known to have criticized China’s regulators and banks when he spoke at a financial technology conference in October 2020. Ma’s criticism also drew criticism from the Chinese authorities.
In November or a few weeks before the final. Jack Ma tweeted that he couldn’t wait to meet the contestants from Africa’s Business Heroes. However, there has been no activity since then on the account belonging to the father of three. In fact, Ma is classified as an active person on Twitter.
Ma is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in China. However, he was out of touch with the Chinese government after he pushed for a more open economy in China.
Jimmy Lai
Taipan, media owner and Hong Kong pro-democracy figure, Jimmy Lai was arrested on August 10, 2020 on charges of violating the new National Security Law that China introduced in Hong Kong on June 30, 2020.
Two weeks before the law came into effect on June 30, Lai told AFP he knew he would be a prime target and was ready to go to jail.
Before the National Security Act was passed, Chinese state media frequently accused him of colluding with foreign parties, especially after he met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Vice President Mike Pence in 2019.
During an interview with AFP, Lai described the Security Act as a “death knell for Hong Kong “.
“This will replace or destroy our rule of law and destroy our international financial status,” he said.
Guo Wengui
Billionaire Guo Wengui became a fugitive by the Chinese government and fled abroad in 2014. He claims to be a reporter who exposes corruption in the ranks of the Chinese government.
The other two billionaires will be discussed in the next article.
Read now: Apart from Jack Ma: Billionaires Who had been Silenced by China
