136 Chinese, 61 Indian firms on Forbes' list

Beijing, April 20 (IANS) A total of 136 Chinese firms have found place in this year's Forbes Global 2000 list which also mentions 61 Indian firms, among others.

The tally of Chinese firms is up by 15 this year, as the nation gained more ground amid the world's biggest and most powerful public companies, the China Daily reported Friday.

The Forbes magazine's The Forbes Global 2000 is an annual list of the top 2000 public companies worldwide since 2003, which ranks firms according to their composite scores based on sales, profits, assets and market value.

China is the third largest country in terms of membership, after the US (524 firms) and Japan (258 firms).

According to Forbes's website, the Asia-Pacific region has produced 733 names on the list, running far ahead for the fifth year of other regions - Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

This year's list again reveals the dynamism of global business. This year's rankings span 66 countries, adding four countries this year. The US (524 members) and Japan (258 members) still dominate the list, but with a combined 14 fewer entries.

China is closing the gap on the two leaders and sits as the third largest country in terms of membership with 15 more members this year. Other countries adding to their total this year are South Korea (68 firms), India (61) and Britain (93), the website stated.

Countries standing out in terms of growth across all four metrics are Thailand, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it added.

Meanwhile, the top three positions on The Global 2000 are taken by Exxon Mobile, JPMorgan Chase, and General Electric.

The 136 Chinese companies, led by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) which ranks fifth on the list, are worth $2.8 trillion in aggregate market value.