TOKYO — Don’t call it a comeback for Alibaba Group Holding’s founder, Jack Ma. Once seen as a pariah for his criticism of government regulation, there is growing speculation in China’s tech circles that the self-made billionaire has essentially been rehabilitated in the eyes of President Xi Jinping as Beijing seeks to bolster domestic chip…
Key issues the sector is facing include cash retentions and the need to improve payment practices across the construction supply chain Phil Brickell, Member of Parliament for Bolton West, recently visited Lancashire-based BD Structures, a steelwork contractor, to understand the broader challenges facing the UK’s steel construction industry. During his visit, key issues included cash…
The auditorium at Alibaba’s headquarters was packed with attendees, leaning against the wall and squeezing onto the stairs. Hundreds of Chinese small-business owners listened raptly as a stream of representatives from Alibaba, the Chinese online shopping giant, stepped onstage to reassure them of China’s resilience in the face of America’s eye-watering tariffs. “Since the beginning…
Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He was the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize. A horse-shaped white cloud has returned to the blue sky more than four years after being blown away….
When Xi Jinping, China’s leader, made his entrance at a symposium with a group of top entrepreneurs this week, he seemed to be in good spirits. China has had a few good weeks. The artificial intelligence models by the start-up DeepSeek sent U.S. stocks tumbling and Western commentators screaming, “Sputnik moment.” Then an animated film…
News that the Trump administration had agreed with Russia to try to negotiate a peace settlement for Ukraine, without including Ukraine in the talks, was a revelation that many believed reversed years of efforts to isolate Moscow. But prominent voices in the right-wing media world interpreted the development this week as cause for celebration. “Every…
HONG KONG — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a group of prominent private entrepreneurs including billionaire Jack Ma on Monday, a sign that Beijing sees the technology industry as a key spark for firing up sluggish economic growth. Footage shown on Chinese state media confirmed the attendance of Ma, founder of the e-commerce conglomerate…