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A Blow To Hong Kongs Toy KingMattel s latest recall has jolted the business empire of Hong Kong toy tycoonFrancis Choi Chee Ming

The billionaires Early Light Industrial Co was named Tuesday by Mattelas the supplier of nearly half a million dieshycast vehicles found to containimpermissible levels of lead which can lead to brain damage and other healthrisks for children

In addition to those products which are modeled on the Sarge character inthe movie Cars Mattel is recalling 182 million toys made by other supplierscontaining magnets that could break off and be swallowed by children It wasthe second recall made by Mattel this month involving toys made in China(See Chinese Toy Terror) and one of the biggest ever in the toy industry

Its first recall of more than a million toys drove a Hong Kongshybased Mattelsubcontractor to commit suicide over the weekend

Dubbed Hong Kongs Toy King Choi runs one of the citys three leading toycompanies which are the driving force behind Chinas recent rise to becomethe worlds top toy manufacturing center

Mattel said his company Early Light subcontracted the painting of parts of theCars toys to another Chinashybased vendor Hong Li Da The use of paintcontaining lead resulted from Hong Li Das decision to source paint from anonshyauthorized thirdshyparty supplier in violation of Mattels requirement for itto use paint supplied directly by Early Light

Born in Guangdong province which borders Hong Kong Choi owes much ofhis rise in business to Mattel His early days as a sale agent and manufacturerof Snoopy products allowed him to set up Early Light International Holdingsin 1994 the core of his toy empire In recent years he made bundles of cashby branching out into Hong Kongs resurgent real estate sector and makingbets on pharmaceutical and health products

He broke into Forbes Greater China 40 richest list this year ranking 38thwith a net worth of $11 billion thanks in large parts to canny bets on HongKong real estate

ShushyChing Jean Chen ContributorI cover regional corporates and entrepreneurs

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Rather than toying with the small things he produces for Mattel the 60shyyearshyold Choi is known for his zeal as a luxury car collector He reportedly ownsmore than 30 luxury cars with a total value of more than $26 millionincluding a Pagani Zonda F Ferrari F550 Carrera GT Diablo SE and anantique Rolls Royce

Choi is far from the normal ragsshytoshyriches story in China boasting anuncommonly extensive education a bachelors degree in businessadministration from Sussex College of Technology in the UK a mastersdegree in business administration from Newport University in the US and aPhD in business management from Chinas Harbin Institute of Technology

He recently bought into Hong Kongshylisted Town Health InternationalHoldings becoming its vice chairman

Both Choi and his designated successor daughter Carmen Choi are active inChinese politics He serves as a member of the National Committee of theChinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference Both he and his daughteralso play a role in politics in Shenzhen

It was not known yet whether China would slap an export ban on his businessas it did with two other Chinese toy subcontractors behind the recent waves ofglobal recalls At the very least Choi may have trouble further expanding hisstable of luxury cars

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