Want Want

Want Want Holdings Limited (Want Want; Chinese: 旺旺集團有限公司; pinyin: Wàngwàng Jítuán Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī) is a food manufacturer from Taiwan. It is one of the largest rice cake and flavored drink makers in Taiwan.[1][2] It engages in the manufacturing and trading of snack foods and beverages. It operates over 100 manufacturing plants in mainland China and 2 in Taiwan, and employs over 60,000 people.[3]

Want Want
IndustryFood & Drink
FounderJonathan Shuai Qiang Ng

History
I Lan Foods headquarters

In 1962, Want Want began operations in the name of I Lan Foods Industrial Company Limited (宜蘭食品工業股份有限公司) in Yilan County, Taiwan, which manufactured canned agricultural products. It was founded by Tsai Eng-meng's father, Jonathan Shuai Qiang Ng.

In 1983, it collaborated with Iwatsuka Confectionery Company Limited, one of the top three Japanese rice cracker makers, to develop a rice cracker market in Taiwan. In return, Iwatsuka obtained 5% of the common stock of the company.[4] In 2009, Iwatsuka's share in Want Want was valued at about US$350M , nearly three times as much as Iwatsuka's own market value of US$125M .[5]

In 1987, it became the first Taiwanese operator to apply for the registration of the "Want Want" trademark in China. In 1992, it started its business in Mainland China. In 1994, it commenced its first production plant in Changsha, Hunan. In 1996, it was listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange under the name Want Want Holdings Pte Ltd.

In 2007, Want Want Holdings Pte Ltd was delisted from the Singapore Stock Exchange.[6] In 2008, its subsidiary, Want Want China Holdings Limited, was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[7][8]

Want Want has faced repeated accusations of close links to the Chinese Communist Party[9] and has received subsidies from the Chinese government.[10] The Financial Times reported that these ties include coordination with the Chinese government's Taiwan Affairs Office.[11]

In November 2019, Wang Liqiang, a self-proclaimed Chinese spy who defected to Australia, claimed that the Want Want China Times Group news channels China Television and Chung T'ien Television had received Chinese funding in return for airing stories unfavorable of the Taiwanese government and sought to influence the upcoming 2020 election.[12] The Want Want China Times Group denied these allegations.[13]

List of products and brands
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Food and beverage
  • QQ Jellies (旺QQ糖)
  • Want Want Children's milk (旺仔牛奶)
  • O-Pao fruit milk (旺旺O泡果奶)
  • Want Want Fortune Rice Crackers
  • Want Want Senbei Rice Crackers
  • Want Want Superslim Rice Crackers
  • Want Want Crackers
  • Want Want Crunchy Rice Balls (旺旺小小酥)
  • Want Want Seaweed Rice Crackers
  • Want Want Shelly Senbei
  • Toshitaka-Kun Shuzawa Sensei Crackers
  • Mum-Mum Organic Rice Biscuits
  • Crinkles Gourmet Rice Chips
  • QQ Gummies
  • Want Want Coffee Rice Crackers
  • Want Want Smelly Tofu Crackers

Media

Many Want Want products are well known in Taiwan and China for their bizarre advertisements. Ads often depict the life of a Taiwanese boy wanting to buy Want Want products. The logo for Want Want was created after Tsai Eng Meng's son starred in one of these advertisements.

See also

References
  1. "Taiwan's Wei family to buy cable TV operator CNS for $2.4 bln -source". Reuters. 2014-08-24. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. "China Times Group is sold to Want Want - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  3. "TAIWAN: China Times Group is sold to Want Want". Archived from the original on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  4. "Rise of the new media moguls". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  5. Flannery, Russell (9 October 2009). "Extending His Reach". Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. "Schenker-BAX Merger Completed, Want Want Plans HK IPO". Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  7. Want Want Shares Fall in Hong Kong Debut
  8. "Want Want Holdings Ltd". Archived from the original on 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
  9. Aspinwall, Nick. "Taiwan Shaken by Concerns Over Chinese Influence in Media, Press Freedom". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  10. Kawase, Kenji (April 30, 2019). "Chinese subsidies for Foxconn and Want Want spark outcry in Taiwan". The Nikkei. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  11. Kurlantzick, Joshua. "How China Is Interfering in Taiwan's Election". www.cfr.org. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  12. and Paul Sakkal, Nick McKenzie, Grace Tobin. "The moment a Chinese spy decided to defect to Australia". www.theage.com.au. The Age. Archived from the original on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  13. Strong, Matthew. "Taiwan TV stations reject defector's allegations of China funding". Taiwan News. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.