Chinese real estate mogul Wang Jianlin became the richest man in Asia, data showed on Monday, beating Alibaba Group's Jack Ma Yun and Li Ka-shing, chairman of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa.
The total wealth of Wang, chairman of conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, reached $38.1 billion as of Monday, according to the Bloomberg billionaire index, ranking him No.1 in Asia and putting him 11th on the world rich list.
Ma, chairman of Internet giant Alibaba Group, placed No.2 in Asia and 17th in the world with $35.1 billion of wealth, according to Bloomberg billionaire index. And Li was third in Asia and 19th in the world with a total wealth of $34.7 billion.
The world's richest man remains Microsoft's Bill Gates, according to the Bloomberg billionaire index, with wealth of $86.3 billion.
Analysts said that the rise of Wang in the rich list was mainly attributed to the recent surge in share prices of companies controlled by Wang and his family.
Shares in Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co, a Hong Kong-listed firm under Wanda Group, rose 2.75 percent on Monday to HK$65.4 ($8.44) per share. The company's market value has topped HK$300 billion for the first time on Monday.
Wang and his family own around 50 percent of the company's shares, worth some $20 billion at present, according to a report on finance news portal money.163.com on Monday.
Wang also controls a 60.71 percent stake in Shenzhen-listed Wanda Cinemas and a 78 percent stake in AMC Entertainment Holdings, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and was acquired by Wanda in 2012, according to the report.
