Chinese aviation executive Wang Jian was planning a week of luxury tourism when he died unexpectedly in the south of France, according to a lobbyist with deep business and political connections in China who has rejected the speculation surrounding the death that has gripped China.
Wang, co-chairman of sprawling Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, spent his final evening dining with pharmaceutical insider Daniel Vial at a boutique hotel in southern France. The following day, he slipped while trying to take pictures on a wall by an ancient church, and plunged to his death.
The unusual accident has given rise to a flurry of speculation and conspiracy theories in China, where HNA is under financial pressure following a global acquisition spree. Chinese reporters have rushed to Bonnieux, the picturesque village where he died, and surprised the local gendarmerie with the volume of their queries.