China's second richest man hurt in 'revenge attack'
AFP September 18, 2013, 3:55 pm
SHANGHAI (AFP) - Multi-billionaire Zong Qinghou, China's richest man until he was dethroned last week, was injured in an alleged revenge attack following the dismissal of some employees, reports said Wednesday.
Zong is chairman of China's leading beverage producer Wahaha Group and Forbes magazine estimates his personal wealth at $11 billion, second only to Wang Jianlin, head of conglomerate Wanda Group, on $14 billion.
The 67-year old tycoon was attacked on Friday near his home in the eastern city of Hangzhou and injured his fingers, China's official Xinhua news agency said citing police, adding a suspect had been arrested.
Tendons in Zong's left hand were severed, the Shenzhen-based Hong Kong Commercial Daily reported, with a source telling the paper that the attack might have been revenge for the removal of executives at a Wahaha unit.
Representatives of the ruling Communist Party in Hangzhou have become involved in the case, the state-backed agency China News Service reported, citing an unnamed employee at Wahaha.
Neither Wahaha nor police in Hangzhou could immediately be reached for comment by AFP.
Zong Qinghou, China's second-richest man, suffered injuries to his left hand last Friday when he was attacked in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang province where Zong's Wahaha beverage empire is based.
The city's public security authorities have confirmed online rumors that Zong was injured in an attack on the morning of Sept. 13 near his home and sought treatment at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.
Reports differ on the seriousness of his injuries, which range from light damage to two tendons to four severed tendons in his left hand. The official Xinhua news agency reported Zong as saying that he was still working and recovering well from his "minor injuries."
Police say the suspect, a 49-year-old man surnamed Yang, was arrested at 3pm on the same day. Yang, who is unemployed, reportedly sought out Zong for a job and attacked him when he was turned down. Earlier reports incorrectly indicated that multiple assailants were involved.
The 67-year-old Zong is the founder, chairman and CEO of the Hangzhou Wahaha Group, the leading beverage company in China. With a personal fortune of 115 billion yuan (US$18.8 billion), he was ranked the wealthiest man in China until he was recently passed by real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin.
Wahaha grew from humble origins after Zong started his first factory in 1987, becoming one of the top 500 private enterprises in China. As the largest beverage enterprise in the country, the group employs nearly 30,000 people and recorded revenues of 63.6 billion yuan (US$10.4 billion) last year.
