Dalian Wanda Group published photos of its chairman on a visit to Hong Kong, contradicting rumors that the billionaire had been ordered not to leave mainland China.
The company’s been pushing back against the rumors since late August, when a Chinese-language blog wrote that chairman Wang Jianlin had been detained by authorities and prohibited from leaving the country.
On Monday, the company published photos of Wang with Tung Chee-hwa, who oversaw Hong Kong from 1997 to 2005, according to the Financial Times. The photos, dated Sept. 8, show the emblem of Hong Kong in the background.
Last month, after reports came out that authorities had detained Jianlin and his family at Chinese airport, Wanda released as statement saying the rumors were “concocted with ulterior motives.” It’s suing people behind more than 10 Chinese social media accounts that “falsely” said Jianlin had been detained.
Wanda’s been pulling back from its spending streak. It was one of five companies China’s Banking Regulatory Commission began investigating earlier this year for carrying too much debt and expanding at a rapid clip. [FT] – Rich Bockmann