Wang Chuanfu, owner of BYD, Shenzhen's car and battery maker, has officially become the richest tycoon in China's mainland, followed by Liu Yongxing, chief of East Hope Group, and Zong Qinghou, head of Hangzhou Wahaha Group.

The details are published in the Forbes China Rich List 2009, which was released Thursday in Shanghai.

According to the list, the total wealth of the top 40 richest people in China has doubled over the last year to 106 billion US dollars, with all 40 surpassing 1 billion US dollars. Last year, only 24 tycoons got to this level.

Wang Chuanfu is also considered the biggest winner in terms of his wealth increase. His personal fortune rose fourfold from last year's 1.06 billion dollars to 5.8 billion dollars, with the stock price of BYD surging six times after receiving investment from US financial guru Warren Buffett.

Forbes magazine pointed out that the cooperation between China's BYD and Buffett illustrates the potential for collaborative development between the two countries. The magazine also discussed the fortune increase of Chinese successful entrepreneurs in a context of the environment faced by American businesspeople.

"It is the first time that the Forbes has focused on the cooperation between China and U.S. since it started its Chinese version in 2003," says Shen Hao, the publisher of Forbes Chinese rich list. "This also emphasizes the responsibilities that society's richest need to shoulder, such as providing employment opportunities and donating to charity."

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