China orders billionaire to lie low after poem post sparks fury

A file photo of Wang hitting the gong during the debut of the company at the Hong Kong Exchanges in Hong Kong, China on Sept 20, 2018. The food delivery mogul has been told to keep a low profile after posting a millennium-old poem regarded by many as implicit criticism of the government, according to sources. — Reuters

China’s government summoned Meituan’s Wang Xing to a meeting recently and warned him to keep a low profile, after the founder of China’s third-largest tech corporation last month posted a controversial poem that convulsed markets and sparked a social media furor.

Beijing officials called Wang in after the food delivery mogul posted a millennium-old poem regarded by many as implicit criticism of the government, according to people with knowledge of the matter. They warned him to refrain from courting the spotlight, at least temporarily, the people said, asking not to be identified as they weren’t authorised to discuss the matter.