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Have Retired Jack Ma, Alibaba Steered Away From China Communist Party's
Clutches?

Joyce Huang

   The recent retirement of Jack Ma, former chairman of the Alibaba Group,
   has set a positive example in China for entrepreneurs to plan
   succession, ensuring the long-term sustainability of their businesses,
   according to some analysts.

   But others insist it is still too early to tell if the world's largest
   e-commerce giant and its charismatic founder have since steered away
   from the clutches of the Communist Party, which seemingly views large
   private companies as a threat.

   "They key thing here is not to be too confident about any outcome yet,
   because we're simply too early in the cycle here. Jack can still retire
   and then find himself in a lot of problems later," said Fraser Howie,
   co-author of three books on the Chinese financial system, including
   "Red Capitalism: The Fragile Financial Foundations of China's
   Extraordinary Rise."

   On the heels of his official retirement last Tuesday, rife speculation
   remains that Ma was forced out because he had become "too powerful and
   influential" and posed a challenge to the authority of China's top
   leadership. His tech empire remains under the government's close
   scrutiny.

   State pressure

   It is believed that through his retirement, Ma has avoided being caught
   up in the Chinese government's crackdown of big dealmakers in recent
   years, such as HNA Group's Wang Jian, Anbang Insurance Group's Wu
   Xiaohui, and movie star Fan Bingbing. The latter two "disappeared" for
   months at one point, according to observers.

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