Chinese entrepreneur Zong Qinghou, CEO of eastern Hangzhou's Wahaha Group, is the wealthiest person in the Chinese mainland, according to a rich list released Wednesday by Forbes Magazine.

The tycoon, with his $7 billion beverage empire, ranks 103rd in the 2010 world's richest list, while Mexico's Carlos Slim, the son of an immigrant shopkeeper and major stakeholder of the New York Times, claims the top throne with his $53.5 billion fortune.

According to Forbes' counting, the richest person in Hong Kong is Li Ka-sing with a fortune of $21 billion. The richest person in Taiwan is Terry Tai-Ming Gou, founder of one of the world's largest electronics manufacturing service company Hon Hai, with a fortune of $5.5 billion.

Source: chinadaily.com.cn