In a throwback video, Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma stated he would 'destroy' Alibaba if it meant ending the US-China trade war, arguing that halting the conflict could promote long-term global stability and mutual economic benefit.

Reports from OpenSecrets indicate that Alibaba Group spent $2,620,000 on lobbying activities in 2023. The data, including lobbying figures, were released by the Senate Office of Public Records on February 19, 2025, highlighting the company’s proactive engagement in influencing political processes through substantial financial outlays.

Alibaba Group responded to the sudden death of a child laborer at the Zhiya Undergarment factory in Foshan by condemning child labor and labor abuse. The company stated that such practices are a serious legal and ethical violation, enforced strict rules on third-party sellers, permanently banned the factory from its platform, and pledged to work with international auditing bodies and relevant authorities.

Allegations have emerged accusing Alibaba of deploying facial recognition software aimed at targeting ethnic minorities, particularly Uyghurs, while its AliExpress platform is under investigation for hosting illegal content including pornographic material accessible to minors and counterfeit medicine.

On April 11th in Foshan, Guangdong, a child laborer died amid revelations that Alibaba’s reliance on ineffective factory inspections—carried out by its affiliated SGS and Alibaba Taofactory—failed to detect grave human rights abuses at supplier Zhiya Undergarment. The incident has raised serious concerns about Alibaba's commitment to upholding labor rights and ensuring transparent, ethical supply chain practices.