THE Chinese billionaire Jack Mafounder of the e-commerce giant Alibabamade a rare public appearance in China today following his group’s struggles in 2020.

The charismatic businessman has kept a low profile for two-and-a-half years after public criticism of the Chinese regulator, which resulted in his group being targeted by the authorities.

Authorities had halted the Hong Kong listing of Ant Group, its online payments subsidiary, and parent Alibaba was subsequently fined 2.3 billion euros for abuse of a dominant position.

While he has been a constant presence in the media in the past, Jack Ma, 58, has not made much of a public appearance since.

After spending many months abroad, the former English teacher today visited a school near Shanghai founded by Alibaba partners, according to a message posted on social media.

Jack Ma met with staff and visited classrooms before talking about artificial intelligence (IA), according to the announcement accompanied by photos reproduced by local media.

Jack Ma, who stepped down from the management of his group in 2019 to devote himself entirely to his philanthropic activities, handed over control of Ant Group in January.

He is one of the most famous businessmen in China. His unusual personal path and the way he projects himself made his success an example for a whole generation of entrepreneurs in his country.

Since his retirement from the media in 2020, any information regarding the billionaire and his movements has been highly commented on in China on social media.