Chinese billionaire and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma has recently been spotted in Hong Kong in a rare public appearance since last year’s regulatory crackdown on his empire. Beijing has been trying to assert control over the country’s internet giants with anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns since late 2020. Alibaba was fined a record $2.75 billion in April over alleged violations that included prohibiting vendors that wanted to use its platforms from dealing with Alibaba’s competitors. Ma’s recent visit to Hong Kong to meet business associates was his first in a year, news agency Reuters quoted sources as saying.

China court drops sexual assault case against former Alibaba employee

Units of Alibaba, Tencent, live-streaming site Kuaishou, microblogging platform Sina Weibo and social media site Xiaohongshu have faced fines for distributing sexually suggestive stickers or short videos of children. Tencent’s music service was ordered to end exclusive contracts with providers.

Ma has been keeping a low profile ever since Chinese regulators cancelled the potentially record-shattering $37 billion IPO for his Ant Financial group in November 2020.

Ma almost disappeared from public view in mainland China. He put speculation about his whereabouts to rest when he spoke to a group of teachers by video in January.

Ma also made a rare visit to Alibaba’s Hangzhou campus during the e-commerce giant’s annual “Ali Day” in May, according to Reuters.

In September, Alibaba pledged $15.5 billion by 2025 for President Xi Jinping  “common prosperity” initiative.

This was a month after China’s top legislature voted to pass the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) at the closing meeting of a regular legislative session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Chinese media described the law as one of world’s toughest on personal data security, saying it would “significantly harder and more expensive for tech firms in China to access and use consumer information.”