Jack Ma seen but not heard

Embattled billionaire Jack Ma, who's made just one public appearance since falling foul of Beijing five months ago, has been spotted again, but in the virtual world.

Ma attended the Russian Geographical Society's annual meeting held in Moscow on Tuesday, as an online participant. Ma, who sits on the society's board, did not say a word during the two-hour meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin, indicating that he's content to keep a low profile amid China's tech crackdown.

He was seen in a Chinese-style room, listening to speakers and sipping tea.

After Ma criticized China's regulators last October, Beijing halted a blockbuster IPO for his Ant Group and Alibaba was recently fined a whopping US$2.8 billion for violating anti-monopoly laws.