(Yicai Global) Dec. 6 -- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA] Chair Jack Ma has made light of his absence at two high-profile dinner parties held at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen in China's eastern Zhejiang province, saying he didn't receive invitations to the events.

Ding Lei, the founder of security giant NetEase Inc. [NASDAQ:NTES], put on one banquet for key industry figures, while the chief executives of e-commerce heavyweight JD.com Inc. [NASDAQ:JD] and food industry platform Meituan-Dianping jointly held another one, neither of which were attended by Ma.

"They didn't invite me to these dinners, and even if they had, I wouldn't have been available," Beijing News cited Ma as saying yesterday.

"It's just a meal, not a big deal. If Alibaba was to hold a dinner party, it would be the best in the world," said Ma, adding, "I have thrown parties for top singers, kings and prime ministers, and I never talk business during them, though I do perform magic tricks," he added.

Ma, who hosted similar banquets during this year's Davos forum, said it would be inappropriate to read too much into the significance of such gatherings.