Besides expressing little interest in buying into Ma Bell's shrinking long-distance business, he also said he would like to sell off many of his local phone lines.

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The request by the government to transfer sensitive payment assets into Chinese hands was seen by many in America as an excuse for a frustrated Ma to do what he had been prevented by his partners from doing for the last 3 years (buying back some of the shares he sold them in 2005 and earlier).

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