The once-sidelined Alibaba founder was among the executives who met with Xi Jinping, in what was seen as a show of support for private enterprise by Beijing.

Alibaba has branched out from its original B2B e-commerce roots, developing thriving logistics arms and financial spin-offs such as Ant Group. Its cloud division, Alibaba Cloud, already hosts significant R&D operations worldwide and recently launched its own AI offering, QWen, available to iPhone users in China via a dedicated app.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and the country’s top tech executives in Beijing on Monday, in a meeting that signals officials could be steering the country in a more business-friendly direction after a yearslong regulatory crackdown.

The life of Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba. He grew up poor in China and was rejected from multiple jobs before finding success in tech.

Hi, this is Allen Wan in Shanghai, reminiscing about the time I went on a wild chase to track down Jack Ma, one of China’s most famous entrepreneurs.

Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei, BYD’s Wang Chuanfu, and Xiaomi’s Lei Jun were among the leading tech executives who met with Xi Jinping on Monday.

China has invited prominent entrepreneurs including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. co-founder Jack Ma to meet the nation’s top leaders, people familiar with the matter said, a potentially momentous show of support for the private sector after years of turmoil.

The Chinese president’s symbolic handshake this week with exiled billionaire Jack Ma shows Beijing needs tech entrepreneurs to revive the economy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting with Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and other prominent entrepreneurs on Monday, signaling Beijing’s endorsement for a long-marginalized private sector now considered key to reviving the world’s No.

(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Jack Ma, co-founder of China’s most successful tech empire and billionaire entrepreneur. Education: Hangzhou Teachers College, 1988; Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, M.B.A. Ma showed foreign tourists around his hometown as a child to improve his English.

Xi is permitting Ma’s return, but he has not fully reinstated him. The government may be offering him a chance to contribute again — but with strict conditions.

The Chinese president rarely chairs symposiums about the private sector and the event underscores the numerous challenges facing China Inc.