The co-founder and chairman of the giant Chinese conglomerate HNA Group has died in a fall in southern France, while touring the Provence region.

Wang Jian, 57, had climbed on a high parapet to take photographs in the picturesque village of Bonnieux when he fell, police said.

Rescue services in the region were unable to revive him.

Mr Wang helped turn HNA into one of the world’s biggest companies, with assets in aviation, tourism and finance.

It has major stakes in Deutsche Bank, hotel chain Hilton and skyscrapers in London and employs more than 400,000 people worldwide.

The company is currently in the process of selling down some of its international assets in a bid to reduce its domestic debt built up during a rapid expansion in recent years.