BEIJING: Founder of Alibaba Group Jack Ma has made his first appearance since Chinese authorities cracked down on his business empire, BBC has reported.

Jack’s absence had fuelled speculation over his whereabouts.

On Wednesday, Jack met 100 rural teachers in China via a video conference, according to local government media.

His business empire, Alibaba shares surged 5% on Hong Kong’s stock exchange on the news, BBC said.

Tianmu News — backed by the provincial Zhejiang government — reported that Jack addressed the teachers as part of one of his charity foundation’s initiatives.

The event which — held annually — is usually hosted in the resort city of Sanya. However, it was held online this year because of Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the epidemic is over, we must find time to make up for everyone’s trip to Sanya, and then we will meet again!” he said.

(With inputs from BBC)