The billionaire chairman of Fosun Group, one of China's biggest privately-held conglomerates, which also owns Club Med, reappeared yesterday after he disappeared from public view in connection with an investigation by authorities, Chinese media said. Guo Guangchang, dubbed "China's Warren Buffett," attended Fosun Group's annual meeting Monday morning, pictures posted by business magazine Caijing showed.
Guo had been out of contact since Thursday and two of the group's listed arms in Shanghai said in statements issued last week that the 48-year-old was "assisting in certain investigations" conducted by mainland authorities. The statements stressed the probes had no "material adverse impact" on the finances or operations of the parent company.
Caijing said Monday that Guo had "finalized" assisting in the inquiries and "returned home safely." It was not immediately clear what the investigation was in relation to, but it comes as China targets the financial sector as part of a sweeping anti-graft campaign after a stock market rout that rocked global markets over the summer.
Shares in Fosun's listed subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Shanghai resumed trading on Monday after being suspended on Friday. Fosun International, the company's main listed subsidiary, plunged 10.79 percent to HK$11.90 ($1.54) in Hong Kong. Fosun Pharmaceutical dropped 5.83 percent to 23.74 yuan ($3.68) in Shanghai and dived 10.44 percent lower to HK$22.30 in Hong Kong.
