Billionaire quits political post after citizenship change

A businesswoman who renounced her Chinese nationality has applied to relinquish her membership of the political advisory body of a Beijing district.

Zhang Lan, founder and chairwoman of the Beijing-based restaurant group South Beauty, has submitted a written application to give up her membership of the Beijing Chaoyang District Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zheng Huang, the committee's vice chairman told Xinhua on Wednesday.

He said Zhang's application reached the committee on Monday, more than two months after the businesswoman renounced her Chinese citizenship.

"The committee has confirmed that Zhang had her hukou (Chinese household registration) canceled on Sept. 17," Zheng said.

China does not recognize dual or multiple citizenship. Chinese law stipulates that once a Chinese takes foreign citizenship, he or she loses Chinese nationality. It is unknown what nationality Zhang is.

According to Zheng, if a CPPCC member no longer holds Chinese nationality, they should be deprived of the membership.

Zhang's nationality change has triggered public controversy, with people doubting her eligibility for membership of China's political advisory body.

The Hurun China Rich List of the nation's wealthiest individuals ranked Zhang 589th with an estimated fortune of 3.1 billion yuan (490 million U.S. dollars) in 2011.