Dalian Wanda, the acquisitive entertainment and property conglomerate, has published photos on its website of its chairman visiting Hong Kong on Friday, shooting down rumours that the billionaire was barred from leaving mainland China.
In late August, the company was hit by rumours from a Chinese-language blog that its billionaire chairman Wang Jianlin had been detained by authorities and forbidden to leave China. The suggestion sent shares in its Hong Kong-listed unit down more than 10 per cent and Wanda says it has pressed charges against the blog, which is based in the US.
The photos, published on Monday but dated September 8, show Mr Wang alongside Tung Chee-hwa, who led Hong Kong from the British handover of the city to China in 1997 until he stepped down in 2005. The photos shows the emblem of Hong Kong on the wall in the background, indicating that Mr Wang was no longer on mainland Chinese soil.