The Hong Kong-listed food and beverage manufacturer Master Kong has rebuffed accusations that it is a Japanese brand amid China's anti-Japan sentiment.
Chen Gongru, head of PR department at the company, said the biggest stakeholder of Master Kong Food Co. Ltd remains Taiwan's Ting Hsin International Group, which holds 33.27 percent of the company's shares.
He added that Japan's Sanyo Foods Co. Ltd. holds 33.18 percent of shares, a fact that Master Kong has never denied.
Chen said the rumors were fabricated by competitors and the company has submitted evidence to market regulators.
Rumors claiming that Master Kong is a Japanese brand spread amid the row between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands.
Many Chinese customers have been shunning Japanese-brand products since the dispute broke out. Japanese-brand passenger car sales fell 29.5 percent from August and dived 40.8 percent from a year earlier last month.
Master Kong set up its first production base in north China's Tianjin Municipality in 1992.
Statistics showed that the company leads in market shares of instant noodles, tea beverage and bottled water in China.
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