The owners behind the explosion are worth $5.2 billion.

Tianjiayi Chemical Co,. Ltd has a registered capital of 90 million yuan. It used to be the local’s most charitable enterprise, large tax payer, the main research object of municipal and county leaders, and the second largest domestic manufacturer of m-phenylenediamine. It serves a number of listed companies, and is also the backup listed enterprise selected by the official of Xiangshui County. But behind the glory are the environmental protection authorities' six heavy fines in three years, media exposure, and production halts. Municipal and county governments have repeatedly ordered the company to pay attention to work safety; the State Administration of Work Safety has requested the company to rectify, and its former legal person were once sentenced for pollution.

Tianjiayi Chemical Co,. Ltd is owned by Nijiaxiang Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Nijiaxiang Group) and Lianyungang Bochang Trading Co., Ltd., with 70% and 30% shares respectively. Founded in 1987, Nijiaxiang Group has a registered capital of 25.8 million yuan and total assets of 5.2 billion yuan. In addition, it is known that among the 14 companies related to Ni Chengliang, owner of Nijiaxiang Group, 3 have paid-in capital of more than 100 million yuan. Among these three companies, the share proportion of Ni Chengliang is 70%, 2.5% and 70% respectively. The number of companies with 50% of their shares held by Ni is as high as 18, and the staggering assets behind them are still a mystery.

It is reported that the explosion will affect about 25% of the market capacity of m-phenylenediamine, directly causing price rise of a variety of raw materials, with the price of some raw materials even doubling. Some materials will even be in short supply, making suppliers stop quoting.