Richard Liu, the chief executive of the Chinese e-commerce giant, JD.com, won't make an appearance in an upcoming state-run tech forum which will be held in Shanghai this week for reasons yet to be revealed.
The event in question is facilitated by China's National Development and Reform Commission in participation with several government agencies such as those in the industry and cyberspace ministries.
One of the goals of the summit is to showcase the Asian nation's continuing development of artificial intelligence.
Liu has earlier been scheduled to attend the said high-profile state-run affair which apparently, will also highlight the involvement of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Chairman, Jack Ma, Tencent Holdings big boss, Pony Ma, and Baidu Inc. chief, Robin Li, as guest speakers, according to Reuters.
A JD.com representative reportedly confirmed the businessman's absence but failed to elaborate on the reasons why. His lawyers in the US couldn't also give an immediate comment on the issue.
The said event has already commenced on Monday and is slated to run until this Wednesday.
Details of the program included Liu as one of the main speakers during the forum.
Since Liu's return to China, the business magnate hasn't made an appearance in a public event of this scale. However, the news outlet said that Liu was able to make it to minor signing events for the company.
Rape Allegations
On August, Liu, who was identified in the police blotter by his Chinese name Liu Qiangdong, was arrested in Minneapolis following an allegation of rape, an earlier report from CNBC indicated.
The accused was later on released from custody without charge and without bail and headed back to China.
Liu's representative, Earl Gray, said the following week after the arrest, that the Chinese tech entrepreneur has denied any wrongdoing. A subsequent legal statement from the defense further said that there's no credible complaint charged against Liu.
Minneapolis Police Department representative John Elder, however, said that the charges against Liu, if there's any, could only be filed only after a criminal investigation is conducted.
Initial police reports, meanwhile, hinted on the nature of the accusation stating that the purported offense was of criminal sexual contact or rape, but no domestic violence was involved.
The attack was reportedly committed around 1 am, local time on Friday, August 31, and the accused was taken into custody later that day.
The MPD said that they will continue to investigate on the case even if Liu has already returned to work in China.
JD.com's stock took a plunge around that week by as much as 7 percent in an 18-month low.
