A Chinese billionaire is killed by accident while taking a picture and left an empire of inheritance

MARSEILLE.- Chinese billionaire Wang Jian died yesterday at the age of 57 after an accidental fall during a tour of the Luberon Massif at the southeast of


France
and leaves behind a large conglomerate present in tourism, logistics and air transport.

The founder of the HNA died in the city of Bonnieux, explained the French gendarmes. "He had climbed a parapet high to take a picture and fell," said the gendarmes. Firefighters failed to revive him. The problems of his conglomerate, however, sparked some conspiracy theories.

According to a source close to the case, the Chinese businessman wanted to take a panoramic picture by climbing a small wall. To do this, it takes its momentum and ends up being propelled by its own forces, falling 10 meters.

The public channel France Bleu, a Chinese whose description coincides with that of Wang, dies that day after a fall of about ten meters. The local gendarmerie brigade in charge of the investigation reports an accident

"We cried the loss of an exceptionally talented leader and a model whose vision and values ​​will continue to serve as guide to everyone who had the chance to meet him, "said HNA in a statement, in which he explains that Wang was on a business trip to France.

It is estimated that the wealth of this discreet businessman is 1700 million, according to the US magazine
Forbes.

Wang had specialized in civil aviation at the University of China. Since the early 1990s, he helped found Hainan Airlines.

The New York Times, Wang Jian managed to turn the small regional business into a big conglomerate through a long-held collaboration with his brother Wang Wei, who sold services and equipment to Hainan Airlines.

which was developed mainly in the logistics and tourism sectors, is perceived as a "gray rhino", according to the terms of the Chinese press, that is, one of these companies which are targeted by the Chinese authorities for

In fact, HNA has increased the investments abroad and in May 2017, it became the largest shareholder of the German bank Deutsche Bank, with 9.9% of the shares .

Similarly, the conglomerate announced in October 2016 the acquisition of a quarter of the capital of Hilton hotels, for 6250 million dollars.

Agencies AFP and DPA