Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma was 'excluded' from the list of entrepreneurial figures published by a local media, sparking speculation that he was no longer favored by the Chinese top.
The front page of the article published by Shanghai Securities News instead lists Huawei Technologies CEO Ren Zhengfei; Xiaomi Corp. Co-founder Lei Jun and BYD founder Wang Chuanfu.
The three leaders are praised for their contribution to the country's economy.
The article was also published the same day Alibaba announced its latest quarterly earnings report today.
Ma is said to be the 'target' of the government after he criticized the Chinese legal system which has blocked the public issuance price (IPO) of his company, Ant Group worth US $ 37 billion, a few days before the company's listing on the Hong Kong stock market.
Since then, local authorities have launched anti-trust investigations into the technology sector and stricter legal action against Ant Group is also under consideration.
Ma also disappeared for three months before appearing in public through a 50-second video recording last month.
