Xi Jinping praises Alibaba’s effort to eradicate extreme poverty in China

Alibaba was among several companies that Chinese President Xi Jinping commended on Thursday during a ceremony intended to showcase the success of his years-long campaign to wipe out extreme poverty in the country, reports CNN.

According to the Chinese government certificate it received, Alibaba is a "model of national poverty alleviation". The company posted the certificate on its Weibo account.

This week, the company has also received praises from Chinese state media, who have called attention to Alibaba's contribution in supporting Xi's campaign, by helping farmers sell $155 billion worth of agricultural products through Alibaba's websites.

CNN also reports that state-run China Youth Daily published a report on Wednesday praising Alibaba for its innovation, such as using AI algorithms to help farmers raise chicken, helping people sell agricultural products through live-streaming, providing education and training to poor women in the countryside, and extending loans to rural regions through its online banking services.

The state-endorsed praise is welcome news for Alibaba and owner Jack Ma, who for months have been caught up in a crackdown by Beijing on the country's tech sector, including an anti-trust investigation.