With a net worth of US$32.6 billion, Li Ka-shing is Hong Kong’s richest man, and was long all of Asia’s richest man until edged out by Wanda Dalian’s Wang Jianlin in August. His business empire has historically been China-centric, though his conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa is far-reaching with 270,000 employees in 52 countries.
On the policy front the Chinese state continues to wield its influence over large parts of the real economy.
By Ray Kwong | When it comes to putting the kibosh on things, the folks at Zhongnanhai (China’s version of the White House) have few peers. In recent memory, China has seen fit to ban puns, long beards, zombies, American pork, British cheese, clams from Alaska, Islamic-style clothing, TV programs that feature one-night stands, April Fools jokes, Bitcoin, film stars who use drugs or pay for sex, Windows 8, smoking in public places, the entire Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the “The Big Bang Theory.”
And that was just this year.