Chinese farm billionaire Sun Dawu sentenced to 18 years in jail

Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu was sentenced to 18 years in jail on Wednesday for crimes including "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and illegally occupying farmland, a court said, the latest stiff punishment of an outspoken corporate boss.

Sun had built a major conglomerate in the northern Chinese province of Hebei, employing 9,000 people in activities ranging from poultry processing and pet food to hospitals, schools and resorts.