A former Alibaba manager has been detained in China on suspicion of sexual assault, in a case that has rallied the country’s #MeToo movement against tech corporate culture as the sector faces a wide-ranging regulatory crackdown.
The scandal has turned renewed scrutiny on China’s biggest ecommerce company as authorities have stepped up sweeping policy changes and regulatory interventions in recent weeks that have wiped billions of dollars from the market capitalisations of the country’s largest tech companies.
The alleged assaults took place last month at a work-related dinner and later at a hotel, according to a statement released on Saturday by police in Jinan, the capital of Shandong province in eastern China.