Other

BBC World Service Online

The Documentary

Documentaries

Factual

Investigating global developments, issues and affairs.

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service East Asia

The Documentary: Where is Jack Ma?

Where is Jack Ma?

04/05/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Where is Jack Ma?

Days before his company embarked on a share listing, billionaire Jack Ma went missing

Days before his company embarked on a share listing, billionaire Jack Ma went missing.

On the eve of what would have been the world's largest share listing, Ant Financial founder Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire mysteriously disappeared. Things started to go wrong for Ma after he told a room full of banking regulators that their methods were out of date and not fit for purpose. Shortly afterwards, the Chinese government cancelled the listing and Jack went silent. The extroverted charismatic billionaire, who once flourished in the public eye, simply did not show up at key events.

It is happening more and more often in China; some of the country's most famous and powerful people are disappearing after coming into conflict with the Communist Party. China's most famous actress, the Chinese head of the international police agency Interpol and even a top news presenter all disappeared.

So what has happened to Jack Ma? Journalist Celia Hatton, who spent 15 years living and reporting in China, investigates.

(Photo: Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group. Credit: Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Documentary

Where is Jack Ma?

Genres

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service