在全球经济危机期间，中国在西方国家的痛苦中夸耀自己的高增长，很是嘲笑了西方一番――而且他们不会让任何人忘记这一点。外商抱怨说，从政府官员到客户，中方人员涌现出了新一波的必胜信念。
现在，中国有了新的吹嘘资本。《福布斯》(Forbes)杂志宣布，中国首次成为除美国外拥有亿万富翁最多的国家。中国大陆的首富是杭州娃哈哈(Wahaha)集团董事长宗庆后。娃哈哈是中国最著名的饮料公司之一，也是中国一起最有名官司中的非正式输家。
围绕"娃哈哈"商标的使用权，宗庆后与他的合资伙伴达能(Danone)斗争多年。达能指责宗庆后在合资企业之外另设相关公司，销售与娃哈哈形成竞争的产品。宗庆后否认了这一点。但瑞典的一个仲裁小组认为，宗庆后违反了保密协定和不竞争协议。这一仲裁结论促成了双方的和解。
媒体报道说，达能获得了胜利。但情况确实如此吗？
宗庆后以3亿欧元(合4.09亿美元)买下了达能在合资公司的股权，价格远低于达能的要求。最终，他至少利用了这家欧洲领先食品品牌之一的错误，成为了中国的首富。
这样的成绩足以让一个小国自鸣得意了，而在今天的中国，沾沾自喜的情绪当然不会少。
译者/功文
http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001031714
China made a fool of the west during the global economic crisis, flaunting high growth while western countries languished � and Beijing is not letting anyone forget that. Foreign businessmen complain of a new triumphalism on the part of Chinese interlocutors, from government officials to customers.
Now China has something new to brag about: Forbes magazine says China has the most billionaires outside the US for the first time. And richest among the mainlanders is Zong Qinghou, chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha group, one of China's most famous drinks companies � and unofficial loser of one of China's most famous legal disputes.
Mr Zong fought for years with Danone, his joint venture partner in China, over the right to exploit the Wahaha trademark. Danone accused Mr Zong of setting up copycat operations outside its joint ventures to sell competing Wahaha products. Mr Zong denied it. But a Swedish arbitration panel found that he breached confidentiality and non-competition agreements, precipitating a settlement between the two sides.
The headlines said Danone won. But is that so clear?
Mr Zong bought Danone out of the joint venture for �00m ($409m), a fraction of what the French company demanded. And he ended up the richest man in China, having at the very least exploited mistakes by one of Europe's leading food brands.
It is enough to make a lesser nation smug � and there is certainly no shortage of smugness these days in China.
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