RIL 5th in Forbes Asia8217;s Fabulous 50

Acer is followed by Chinese steel maker Angang Steel, Taiwan8217;s Asustek Computer and Indonesia8217;s Bank Rakyat Indonesia at the second, third and fourth spots, respectively.

Among Indian firms, BHEL and Bharti Airtel are followed by private sector lender HDFC Bank 22, IT bellwether Infosys 25, diversified conglomerate ITC 27, engineering and infrastructure firm Larsen 038; Toubro 30, auto maker Mahindra 038; Mahindra 34, Reliance Industries 39, world8217;s sixth largest steel maker Tata Steel 44 and software exporter Wipro 46.

Among countries, China has the maximum representation with 13 firms, while India comes second with its 10 companies.

8220;Indian companies once again had a strong showing, with 10 making our cut. Infosys and Wipro, perennial top performers, are back for the fourth year. Reliance Industries, Bharat Heavy and Larsen 038; Toubro are back for the third year.8221;

8220;Consumer-oriented companies such as Bharti Airtel, HDFC Bank, Mahindra 038; Mahindra and ITC are growing with India8217;s middle class,8221; the magazine said in an accompanying report.

The list is based on long-term profitability, sales and earnings growth, stock price appreciation and projected earnings for every company in the region with revenues or market capitalisation of at least five billion dollars.