As rumours swirled yesterday of big deals involving his company, Alibaba Group founder and chairman Jack Ma Yun found time to enjoy fresh sushi for lunch and contemplate watching a George Clooney movie.
Ma was spotted in Hong Kong yesterday as news spread that Alibaba's flagship e-commerce company, Hong Kong-listed Alibaba.com, could potentially be privatised.
On Thursday, Alibaba.com suspended trading of its shares in Hong Kong pending clarification about an undisclosed transaction, which it said might be price-sensitive, involving privately held parent Alibaba.
Speculation was rife that such a transaction not only referred to the Hangzhou-based group's effort to wrap up about US$3 billion in bank financing to help buy back its shares that are held by US internet company Yahoo, but also to another deal in which the mainland firm could take Alibaba.com private.
Alibaba spokesman John Spelich declined to comment. A request to interview Ma was also turned down.
A person familiar with the matter said there was no necessary link between a potential privatisation bid and the proposed Yahoo deal.
'It would be fair to say that whatever happens with the Yahoo deal is not dependent on the status of Alibaba.com,' he said.