With a cavalier disregard for China’s slowing economy, the country’s richest man inked a $650m deal for a US sports company — a move that he described as a big bet on the emerging Chinese middle class.

中国首富王健林无视中国正在放缓的经济，敲定了一笔6.5亿美元的交易，收购一家美国体育公司。王健林称，此举是对中国新兴中产阶级的一次大举押注。

Dalian Wanda, owned by Wang Jianlin, a property and entertainment industry tycoon with close ties to the Chinese regime, on Thursday held the formal signing for 100 per cent of the World Triathlon Corporation, which runs the Ironman triathlon event.

王健林是一位与中国政界关系密切的房地产和娱乐业大亨。周四，他旗下的大连万达(Dalian Wanda)举行了收购世界铁人公司(World Triathlon Corporation)全部股权的签约仪式。世界铁人公司是铁人三项赛的运营方。

Wanda has expanded outside of its core areas of property development for the past few years, and in 2012 it bought AMC Theatres in the US, part of a push into entertainment.

过去几年，万达一直在向核心的地产开发业务以外扩张。2012年，该公司收购了美国AMC影院公司(AMC Theatres)，这是该公司进军娱乐业举措的一部分。

Mr Wang said the WTC deal represented a further transition away from being “a traditional property company”. It is the third major investment in the sports industry he has made following Infront Sports & Media, and football club Atlético Madrid.

王健林表示，收购世界铁人公司，标志着万达从“单纯的房地产企业”进一步转型。这笔交易是他继收购盈方体育传媒(Infront Sports & Media)和入股足球俱乐部马德里竞技(Atlético Madrid)之后，在体育产业作出的第三项大手笔投资。