The four people close to Alibaba said they believed the meeting was a negative turning point in the relationship between Ma and Beijing. 9 came at a time of taut tensions between the two countries after Trump was critical of China during his election campaign, blaming it for the loss of American jobs.Ī spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment.

All the sources declined to be named due to sensitivity of the matter. The State Council Information Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment. Ma's charitable foundation, which handles his media queries, did not respond to a request for comment.

That high-profile outing had roiled the Chinese government, which first learned of the meeting and jobs pledge along with the rest of the world when Ma held an informal televised Q&A session with reporters in the lobby of the skyscraper, according to four people close to Alibaba with knowledge of the matter and one Beijing government source.Īlibaba's government relations team was subsequently told by Chinese officials that Beijing was unhappy about Ma meeting Trump without its prior approval, two of the people close to the company said.

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