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       Zong Qinghou, Beverage Tycoon in China, Dies at 79

       A bitter but successful battle with Danone of France for control of a joint venture made him the richest person in China for a time.

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       Zong Qinghou, the president of the Chinese food and beverage company Wahaha, in 2013 at a news conference in Beijing. Credit...Wang Zhao/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

       By Tiffany May and Keith Bradsher

       Tiffany May reported from Hong Kong, and Keith Bradsher from Beijing.

       Feb. 25, 2024

       阅读简体中文版 阅读繁体中文版

       Zong Qinghou, a self-made beverage entrepreneur who was once the richest person in China, died on Sunday.

       His death was announced by his company, Wahaha Group, which said that Mr. Zong had died from an unspecified illness and gave his age as 79. The company statement provided no further details.

       Mr. Zong’s rags-to-riches story had made him prominent in China even before a public feud with his foreign business partner considerably raised his profile — and his wealth. He founded a beverage company in the 1980s, and in the 1990s, he partnered with Danone, the French food giant, to launch one of the best-known food and beverage brands in China.

       But tensions erupted in 2007 when Danone accused Mr. Zong of running secret companies selling virtually identical products that siphoned off as much as $100 million from the joint venture.

       Mr. Zong struck back, saying that Danone had known about the companies. Vowing to punish Danone for its “evil deeds,” he rallied public opinion in China against the foreign company.

       The dispute grew so acrimonious that France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, raised the matter in a meeting with China’s leader, Hu Jintao. In 2009, Danone sold its 51 percent stake, giving Mr. Zong’s company full control.

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       Tiffany May is a reporter based in Hong Kong, covering the politics, business and culture of the city and the broader region. More about Tiffany May

       Keith Bradsher is the Beijing bureau chief for The Times. He previously served as bureau chief in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Detroit and as a Washington correspondent. He has lived and reported in mainland China through the pandemic. More about Keith Bradsher

       A version of this article appears in print on Feb. 28, 2024, Section A, Page 24 of the New York edition with the headline: Zong Qinghou, 79, Tenacious Beverage Tycoon in China . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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