Noodle king eyes food companies

Taiwanese billionaire Wei Ing-chou, whose "Master Kong" brand built Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp into China's largest maker of instant noodles, said he may buy mainland food companies and expand his real estate holdings before retiring in four years.

Tingyi may target companies that produce beverages and baked good on the mainland, and its largest shareholder may buy and manage office property in Taipei and Shanghai, Wei said on Monday during an interview at company headquarters in Tianjin.

"In this world there's no brighter place than the Chinese mainland," Wei said. "We won't give this place up. The pursuing of other markets will be for my sons to do."