Beijing LASHES out at Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing via party mouthpiece
The
mouthpiece newspaper of China's Communist Party has blasted Hong Kong
tycoon Li Ka-shing as "ungrateful" for selling assets on the mainland
with the world's second-largest economy facing headwinds.
The
87-year-old, nicknamed "Superman" for his sharp business acumen, has
been offloading major property investments in China - where growth
slowed to a 24-year low last year and has continued to weaken this year -
after investing heavily there in the 1990s.
The
move, combined with his selling of assets in Hong Kong, has fuelled
speculation that the richest man in Asia is losing confidence in the
Greater China region.
The
People's Daily said on a verified social media account that China's
opening up, vast market and favourable policies had been "the key
cornerstone" of Li's success, yet he was now leaving his benefactor in
the lurch.
"He shared the prosperity while we had good times but could not beat the odds together with us now that we have difficulties. This is indeed unacceptable emotionally," it said in a commentary Sunday on its account on China's mobile messaging application WeChat, a less formal platform than the printed newspaper itself
No 10 Chen Haibin, 46, Zhejiang DIAN Diagnostics Co Ltd No 9 Lv Bo, 52, DHC Software Co Ltd No 8 Jia Yueting, 42, LeTV Holdings Co Ltd No 7 Zhang Yan, 46, Himile Science and Technology No 6 Yang Hongbing, 47, Harbin Gloria Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd No 5 Han Gang, 47, Beijing Jetsen Technology Co Ltd No 4 Li Zhongchu, 52, Beijing Shiji Information Technology Co Ltd No 3 Liu Xianghua, 52, Hunan CHINASUN Pharmaceutical Machinery Co Ltd No 2 Ao Xiaoqiang, 51, Beijing SDL Technology Co Ltd No 1 Liu Chengyan, 51, ChinaNetCenter
While admitting Li's move may have a "negative impact" on confidence in China, the article sought to downplay concerns.
"China's economy accounts for more than 12 per cent of the world's total... Can the withdrawal of a single businessman affect the fundamentals?" it said.