'Wahaha Princess' inheritance dispute reveals China's uncommon prosperity

The high-profile legal battle involving one of China's biggest beverage empires puts a spotlight on the wealth of the country's mega-rich.

- Shuli Ren

In a country where the government is short on fiscal income and its people are worried about layoffs and salary cuts, US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) raises a lot of eyebrows.

Ms Kelly Zong, chief executive at one of China's largest beverage empires, is embroiled in an inheritance dispute. Three plaintiffs, identified by their lawyer as her "half-brothers and sister", are seeking an injunction in Hong Kong to prevent her from dealing with assets worth about that amount.

The feud surfaced just a year after the heiress won a battle for control of Hangzhou Wahaha Group following her father's death last February. As Bloomberg News reported, until now, Ms Zong was the only child the public had known about. Her lawyer says she does not accept the evidence and that her father Zong Qinghou's directives were not given to her.