(ECNS) – Who are the top 10 richest people in China? That depends on whether you're asking Forbes or Shanghai-based research institute Hurun Report, according to the West China Metropolis Daily.
With wealth of $28.7 billion, Wang Jianlin of Dalian Wanda, a leading Chinese real estate developer, ranked 18th on the 2016 Forbes World's Billionaires list released on March 1, becoming the first Chinese mainland billionaire to make the Top 20 list. Hong Kong property magnate Li Ka-shing saw his fortune shrink, falling from the 17th spot last year to 20th.
But Hurun Report's Global Rich List for 2016 differs from the Forbes report, even among the Top 10. Private companies are usually tight-lipped about their operations, which makes it hard for outsiders to estimate the fortunes of billionaires.
According to the latest Hurun list, Wang Jianlin had a net worth of $26 billion, ranking 21st.
Zong Qinghou, the billionaire beverage tycoon of Hangzhou Wahaha Group ranked 4th on the Hurun list, but is not included on the Top 10 list by Forbes. Similarly, JD.com CEO Liu Qiangdong ranked 10th with $6.3 billion on the Forbes list, but only ranked 28th on Hurun's list.
According to Forbes, the U.S. continued to have the world's largest number of billionaires. Of the 1,810 billionaires, 540 were from the U.S., followed by China with 251. There were 120 Germans, 84 Indians and 77 Russians on the list. However, China claims the highest number of newcomers on the list with 70.
