Eighteen Taiwanese entrepreneurs have been included in Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires this year — a sharp increase from only five last year, the annual report released on Wednesday showed.
Leading the club of Taiwan’s wealthiest was Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海精密) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘), who ranked 136th with a net worth of US$5.5 billion, the report showed.
Gou ranked 334th on last year’s list and was the fourth-richest Taiwanese, with US$2 billion.
“Gou has enjoyed a huge rebound in his wealth in the past year as Hon Hai’s shares doubled on hopes that the global economy has bottomed out,” Forbes said in the report.
Shares of Hon Hai have surged 101.91 percent over the past 12 months and closed at NT$137.50 in Taipei trading yesterday.
The nation’s second-richest title went to Fubon Group (富邦集團) chairman Tsai Wan-tsai (蔡萬才) and family, ranking 166th on the global list with US$4.9 billion.
Want Want Holdings Ltd (旺旺控股) chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), the nation’s third-richest, ranked 197th worldwide with a net worth of US$4.3 billion.
The two Tsais are not related.
The nation’s fourth and fifth wealthiest were unchanged.
Forbes named Quanta Computer (廣達電腦) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) as the nation’s fourth-richest man and the world’s 342nd, with an estimated wealth of US$2.9 billion.
Property and media tycoon and founder of the Taipei Times Rong San Lin (林榮三) came in fifth in Taiwan and 421st around the globe, with US$2.3 billion.
Lin’s brother, Lin Yu-lin (林堉璘) — founder of the Hong Tai Group (宏泰集團) and a developer of many prominent office buildings — ranked sixth-wealthiest in the country and 488th globally. Also placing tied sixth was mobile handset maker HTC Corp’s (宏達電) chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅) and her husband, Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦), with a net worth of US$2 billion. Wang, daughter of late business tycoon Wang Yung-ching (王永慶), also chairs VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子).
The three nieces of Tsai Wan-tsai made it back on the list, rounding out the nation’s top 10. They are Tsai Hong-tu (蔡宏圖), Tsai Chen-yu (蔡鎮宇) and Tsai Cheng-da (蔡政達), who control Cathay Financial Holdings Co (國泰金控).
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