Record 400 billionaires from mainland China in Forbes rich list
Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin (US$33bn) retains topspot, followed by Alibaba’s Jack Ma ($28.2bn) and Tencent’s chairman Ma Huateng ($24.5bn)
Wang Jianlin, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, retains No. 1 spot in the latest Forbes list of China’s richest, which this year identifies a record 400 billionaires and billionaire families from the mainland, up from 335 a year ago.
Total wealth held by the 400 on the list members grew 14 per cent to US$947 billion from US$830 billion a year earlier, buoyed in part by brisk gains in e-commerce and by economic growth. This year’s list has 68 new members and 29 returnees.
Wang’s net worth rose 10 per cent to US$33 billion from US$30 billion last year.
The increase in number marks a 19 per cent rise, which compared with last year’s report which showed a 38 per cent rise.
Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, ranked second on the latest Forbes list, with his wealth climbing nearly 30 per cent from US$21.8 billion last year to US$28.2 billion.
The increase in the number of billionaires shows that great business opportunities exist in China as the country’s structural changes continue