Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s co-founder, Jack Ma, was implicated in a scheme to help remove a top Chinese regime official, reported the news portal The Guardian, citing documents on Tuesday, April 29.
The news portal report also highlighted how Jack Ma was tasked to turn a Chinese businessman in France after promising him his problems would go away.
The businessman cited with the letter “H” was kept undisclosed due to the danger of the repercussions from the regime, as his family is still in China. The businessman reportedly faced a series of threats from China in an attempt to return home from France.
The threats included phone calls, the arrest of his sister, and issuing a red notice, i.e., an international alert through Interpol.
“They said I’m the only one who can persuade you to return,” said Jack Ma in April 2021, according to the report.
According to the news portal’s report, H had known Jack Ma for many years, and he recorded his call. He also recorded other calls that he received from his friends as well as Chinese security officials, all with the same message.
The transcripts and documents lay out in detail the combination of threats, co-opted legal mechanisms and extrajudicial pressures that are used to control even beyond China’s borders, according to the report.
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) findings show that the China Targets project, in which the journalists documented the methods the Chinese regime uses to track and crush its citizens abroad, according to the report.
(This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.)
