From one week to the next, the CEO of the Chinese livestreaming platform DouYu, Chen Shaojie, has suddenly disappeared. Speculations about his whereabouts range from possible investigations for pornography or illegal gambling to politically motivated backgrounds.

DouYu, a live gaming website backed by the Chinese internet giant Tencent, is among the largest of its kind globally. According to reports by the renowned 'Financial Times' and the 'South China Morning Post', Chen Shaojie is said to be detained by authorities since he disappeared without a trace weeks ago. Neither his colleagues nor authorities provide official information, just unconfirmed reports are being spread.

Chen's last public appearance is believed to have been in August, during the teleconference to announce DouYu's second quarter results. An insider quotes the "Financial Times" as saying that Chen has been unreachable since October and that authorities may be investigating the platform. It is alleged that they are examining whether illegal content, such as pornography or gambling, was offered on DouYu. This would contradict Chinese laws and could lead to legal consequences.

This is not the first time that overseers from the Chinese state censorship have searched the premises of DouYu for illegal content. Already in May of this year, they searched the offices for pornographic and offensive content. Nevertheless, so far there are no official confirmations for the reasons behind the disappearance of Chen.

However, the case recalls similar events where Chinese managers suddenly disappeared from the scene during ongoing investigations. The most famous case is that of Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who also fell into obscurity for several months and had to relinquish control of his company.

This misconduct by regulatory authorities and the expansion of control over private companies by the Communist Party of China affect the confidence of international investors in the Chinese economy. These incidents cast a negative light on corporate governance and cause unease among foreign entrepreneurs who want to invest in China.

So far, there has been no official statement from DouYu regarding the missing chairman of the board. However, the CEO announced his resignation in mid-October without giving a reason. The significant Chinese internet company Tencent, which owns over a third of DouYu's shares, also did not comment on the incident.

Uncertainty over the whereabouts of Chen Shaojie and speculation about possible reasons raise questions about the control and transparency of Chinese companies. For international investors, the future of the Chinese economy remains uncertain and unpredictable.