Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Alibaba is back in Beijing's good books for helping to fix poverty

Alibaba is back in Beijing's good books for helping to fix poverty

Jack Ma's tech empire may still be facing tough new regulations in China, but Alibaba seems to have won at least a little bit of favor this week from President Xi Jinping.
Alibaba was one of hundreds of companies that Xi commended on Thursday during a ceremony intended to bolster his years-long campaign to wipe out extreme poverty in the country.

Alibaba is a "model" of "national poverty alleviation," according to the certificate it received from the government. The company posted the certification on its Weibo account.

The company also received kudos for its efforts from Chinese state media, which this week called attention to Alibaba's efforts to help farmers sell some $155 billion worth of agricultural products through its e-commerce websites in support of Xi's campaign. State-run China Youth Daily published a report on Wednesday praising the company for its innovations, such as using AI algorithms to help farmers raise chicken, helping people sell agricultural products through live-streaming, providing education and training to poor women in the countryside, and extending loans to rural regions through its online banking services.

The government-backed praise is welcome news for Alibaba and Ma, which for months have been caught up in an intensifying crackdown by Beijing on the country's tech sector, including an anti-trust investigation.

The e-commerce giant's financial tech affiliate, Ant Group, is also expected to undergo major restructuring to satisfy regulators who are concerned about its vast reach in digital payments and finance. Ant's highly anticipated IPO was called off late last year after Ma criticized Chinese regulators.

The criticism of Ma in particular — who had not been seen in public for months before he briefly reemerged in January — even appeared to make its way into state media. Last month, he was left off a list of major Chinese business leaders compiled by the Shanghai Securities Journal.

And late last year, The People's Daily — the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party — published an opinion piece urging tech firms to take more responsibility and focus less on short-term results.

"Internet giants with massive amounts of data and advanced algorithms should have more responsibility, more aspirations, and more accomplishments in technological innovation," the piece read.

Alibaba "is privileged to have participated in [the anti-poverty campaign]," Alibaba wrote in a Weibo post Thursday.

Toeing the party line has a lot of benefits for Alibaba. Xi made clear last September that he expected private companies to support the work of the Communist Party.

Tech firms contributing to Xi's anti-poverty campaign are fulfilling their obligation of "serving the state," according to Alex Capri, a research fellow at Hinrich Foundation and a visiting senior fellow at National University of Singapore.

"This reflects well upon the party and wins support," he added. "As long as Big Tech is seen to be in proper alignment with the [Party's] nationalist message, they will be spared further public chastisement."

Even so, Capri cautioned that the praise for Alibaba this week "is not a contradiction of the Chinese Communist Party's hard line against Big Tech."

He still expects that the government will continue its crackdown, which is fueled by concerns that tech firms have too much influence over China's financial system. Several media outlets have reported that Ant, for example, has agreed with authorities to become a financial holding company — a move that could force it to scale down its aspirations to be a dominant force in the tech world.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×