The recent spat between Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin and Disney has attracted a lot of attention. Wang said his Dalian Wanda Group - China's leading commercial property developer, which also has theme park interests - will make Disney unprofitable in China over the next 10 to 20 years. Disney's Shanghai office said Wang's comments "were not worthy of a response."

The Shanghai Disney Resort has had a trial run in the past few weeks, during which it received around 960,000 visitors in 23 days. Wang's remarks challenging Disney's investment in China and his emphasis on Wanda's strength in the theme park business seem to be very eye-catching. Some believe that Wang is a little presumptuous and others question whether it might just be self-promotion for Wanda. But there might be more Chinese people who are happy to see competition between Wanda and Disney, although they might not be sure if Wanda can beat Disney.

In a recent interview with CCTV, Wang said the Shanghai Disney Resort lacked innovation and that the massive investment involved would force the park to increase prices, which might keep some customers away. Wanda, by contrast, attracts customers with lower prices and already has several theme parks in China. "Even a strong tiger cannot defeat a pack of wolves," Wang was quoted by media reports as saying.

Some people may think the Shanghai Disney Resort has some weaknesses, but it is too early to say that it will fail in the Chinese mainland market. The park hasn't even had its official opening yet, and it has the advantage of being the first Disney theme park in the mainland and is attractive for a lot of Chinese people due to its cultural connotations. Many Chinese people grew up with Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Snow White, so the Disney theme park represents a kind of fantasyland and their childhood dreams.

However, Wanda is by no means ordinary. Its speed and scale of development is unprecedented among Chinese private firms, which has allowed it to gain considerable influence and appeal in China. Since it has made successful inroads into the entertainment industry, it has won the trust of Chinese consumers.  

With its acquisition of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, North America's second-largest cinema chain, in 2012 and US film studio Legendary Entertainment in 2015, Wanda has stepped up its efforts to translate its wealth into competitiveness in the culture industry. Given its local strength, Wanda's determination to beat Disney cannot be seen as overreaching itself.  

For Chinese consumers, it is apparently good news that Disney has settled in Shanghai, and its possible success will also be welcomed by the Chinese people. However, Chinese people would find more pleasure from the challenge Wanda has presented to Disney, as it can challenge Disney's dominance. Past experience has shown that some large foreign firms' forays into the Chinese market has resulted in dominance, with a single foreign giant or a group of foreign firms controlling the market, under the shadow of which China's domestic firms have barely been able to survive.

Therefore, whether Wang is boasting or not, his ambitious vision of expanding Wanda's theme park business all over China is something that has the market excited. If Wanda proves to be capable not just of developing property, operating shopping plazas and theaters, but is also able to build an indigenous theme park with Chinese cultural ties that can challenge Disney, it is believed that the whole of Chinese society would take pride in Wanda.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn