The richest man in Asia is a communist

Jack Ma is a big capitalist, especially for a … communist.

Chinese state media reported Monday that the founder and president of Alibaba was officially a member of the Communist Party. Ma is the richest man in Asia, with a fortune of about $ 35.8 billion, according to Forbes, while the value of tech giant Alibaba is around $ 390 billion .

Ma's political convictions have never been publicly confirmed and the news has surprised some. Ma had never seemed to be particularly close to Beijing, having said about her relationship with the Chinese government: "I love them but I do not marry them."

Ma announced that he would retire from the president of Alibaba next year and the company said that his participation in the party did not affect his business. "The political stance of the leaders does not affect the decision-making process of the company," Alibaba spokesman Alibaba told Reuters.

The political status of Ma is revealed in a People's Daily article about the 100 people recommended by the Communist Party for the important role they played in the development of China on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its openness to economic reforms.

"My 54-year-old Communist Party member has been a powerful driver of domestic demand," the report said.