And finally…China Enjoys a Coke with Warren

Coca-Cola is putting the cartoon face of investment powerhouse Warren Buffett on the Cherry Coke cans it sells in China because its biggest shareholder has become an unlikely celebrity in the communist country.

According to its website, Coca-Cola got permission from the Nebraska-based billionaire to use his image on cans following the introduction of the drink it only launched in China for the first time on March 10.

The limited edition Buffett branded cans will only be available while supplies last, however.

The Berkshire Hathaway CEO is one of the wealthiest people in the world and is worth $74.9 billion.

With such a fortune he might not need endorsement deals more associated with celebrities and sport stars, but he is actually supporting Coke’s efforts in China for free, although with the potential financial benefits to both Buffett and the drinks maker obvious as his firm Berkshire Hathaway is the largest single shareholder in Coca-Cola, with an investment worth about $17 billion constituting a 9.3 per cent share.

Buffett is also a genuine consumer, saying in 2015 that he drinks at least five cans a day — regular Coke at the office, and Cherry Coke at home.

The 86-year-old told shareholders at Berkshire’s annual meeting last April that he had no evidence he would be more likely to live to 100 if he switched to “water and broccoli” and joked in 2015 that he is “one quarter Coca-Cola” because the beverage accounts for 25 percent of his caloric intake.

Buffett has many fans in China, which often sends a large contingent to watch him at Berkshire’s annual meetings in Omaha, Nebraska.

Last year, Berkshire webcast its meeting for the first time, and provided simultaneous translation only in Mandarin.