Police not treating the death of the 57-year-old HNA co-founder as suspicious
The chairman and co-founder of one of China’s largest conglomerates, HNA, has died from an accidental fall while travelling in France, according to the company.
HNA said on Wednesday that Wang Jian, 57, had fallen and died from his injuries on Tuesday in Provence, without providing any more details of his death.
French media reported that a 57-year-old Chinese tourist had died after falling down the stairs of a church in the village of Bonnieux on Tuesday while trying to take a photograph. Other reports said Wang had fallen off a cliff while having his picture taken. Police said they were not treating his death as suspicious.
HNA, the owner of Hainan Airlines, once symbolised the appetite of Chinese companies for assets outside of China .
However, after a $50bn (£37.9bn) global buying spree of hotels, real estate, financial services and other investments, HNA is now one of the country’s most indebted companies.
