Himal Press 
Photo Courtesy: Getty
KATHMANDU: Chinese business magnate and philanthropist Jack Ma arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday afternoon.
His private jet landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu at around 2:30 pm, according to Tribhuvan International Airport Civil Aviation Office.
Although the purpose of his visit remains unknown, he is expected to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and other high-ranking officials.
An official at the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu said the embassy was aware of Ma’s arrival in Kathmandu. “This is his private visit. We have no other information,” the official told Himal Press.
Ma is accompanied by six others including a female. Members of the entourage have been granted a 15-day visa, according to Bheshraj Bhusal, the information officer of the Department of Immigration. “His chartered plane came to Kathmandu from Bangladesh,” he added.
Ma has largely disappeared from public view since he criticized Chinese regulators in October 2020.
Ma, a former teacher, founded Alibaba.com in 1999 together with 17 friends. The venture grew into Alibaba Group Holding Limited specializing in e-commerce, retail, Internet and technology. Some of the subsidiaries of Alibaba include AliExpress, Alibaba Cloud, Trendyol, Lazada Jumia and Cianiao etc.
