The U.S. magazine Fortune selected its Most Influential Business Leaders in Asia, of which a total of six were Chinese entrepreneurs, more than the number of entrepreneurs represented by Korea, Japan, India, and Hong Kong. Of the entrepreneurs from China, Haier took the lead, with Zhang Ruimin, CEO of Haier Group, ranking No.6.
The Chinese edition of Fortune release its latest list of the Most Admired Companies in China in August, 2004, with Haier Group coming in a close second, just behind IBM China Company Limited.