Energy boss overtakes IT mogul as China's richest: survey

A Chinese solar energy tycoon has replaced e-commerce giant Alibaba's founder Jack Ma as the country's richest man with a fortune of USD 26 billion, a wealth survey showed today.
Li Hejun, founder and chairman of Beijing-based Hanergy, saw his wealth nearly triple from a year ago, according to the Hurun Report's Global Rich List 2015.
He is now the wealthiest person in China and his global ranking went up 108 notches to number 28, the list showed.
Ma claimed the title in mainland China last year after Alibaba completed the world's biggest IPO with its USD 25 billion listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September. He dropped to third place in the country with a fortune of USD 24.5 billion, it said.

Ma was overtaken by Li and property baron Wang Jianlin, owner of the sprawling Wanda Group whose net worth was estimated at USD 25 billion, the report said.
Li's Hanergy Group was established in 1994 and spans the hydropower, wind power and solar energy industries, according to the company's website.

A report by the London-based Financial Times last month said the group -- the world's largest solar firm by market value -- made its soaring fortune largely through unconventional sales between its listed subsidiary, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group (HTF), and itself.
Shares in the USD 18 billion Hong Kong-listed HTF have risen more than threefold since the start of 2014, it added.

Bill Gates, co-founder of US technology giant Microsoft, remained the world's richest person on the Hurun global list with a net worth of USD 85 billion.
He was followed by Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim (USD 83 billion) and American investment guru Warren Buffett (USD 76 billion), the luxury magazine publisher said.