Ha ha, Jack Ma, member of the Chinese Communist Party since the 1980s

Alibaba's Jack Ma has been a Communist Party member since the 1980s:

State-run Chinese media on Tuesday reported on a social media post from someone claiming to be a former classmate of Ma's, who said that they joined the Communist Party while in university.

"We all joined the party around the second or third year of university. Back then, joining the party meant not just that you were a good student, but also that you had integrity, organizational ability, enthusiasm and idealism," the post said, according to a translation that matched a screenshot of the post seen by CNBC.

China's richest man outed as Communist Party member after pre-mature resignation announcement

Like these are unrelated developments, or surprising after the rise of Xi Jinping Pooh.

No one makes Jack Ma kind of money in China without the blessing of the Communist Party. And no one stops making Jack Ma kind of money without the urging of the Communist Party.

People do very well indeed under "communism".

Alibaba's Jack Ma is a Communist Party member, China state paper reveals:

Jack Ma, the head of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is a Communist Party member, the official Party newspaper said on Monday, debunking a public assumption the billionaire was politically unattached.

The People's Daily revealed Ma's Party membership in a list of 100 people it said had helped drive the country "reform and opening up" process. Ma is China's richest man with a fortune of $35.8 billion, according to Forbes.

China's richest man, Jack Ma, suddenly retires at age 54

The story here makes it sound like he wanted to retire to pursue a life of philanthropy and education.

Sure he did. Rather later than sooner.

"For Chinese tycoons to step aside in their 50s is rare; they usually remain at the top of their organizations for many years."