Needless fuss over tycoon

Given his influence in the economic realm, especially on Chinese, any move made by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing is seen as a precursor to a future economic trend.

This could explain why a plan by Li's Cheung Kong to sell its real estate in Shanghai for 20 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) has created ripples across a broad swathe on the Chinese mainland.

This is the latest in a series of property sales on the mainland and purchases in the rest of the world by Li's companies. And many see this as part of his efforts to reshuffle assets in his business empire.