Taipei  - A Hong Kong consortium of Primus Financial Holdings and China Strategic Holdings struck a 2.15-billion-US-dollar deal to buy American International Group's (AIG) Taiwan unit, officials said Tuesday.

The consortium beat US private equity firm Carlyle Group and Taipei-based Chinatrust Financial for AIG's Nan Shan Insurance.

"We consider Nan Shan to be the crown jewel of the insurance industry in Taiwan," said Primus chairman Robert Morse, who also doubles as vice chairman of China Strategic.

The two Hong Kong companies would acquire a 98-per-cent stake in Nan Shan, Taiwan's third-largest insurer with assets totaling 46.4 billion US dollars and a local market share of 10 per cent.

Nan Shan chairman Edmund Tse said the Hong Kong team committed to maintain the brand, retain the management and all employees and continue the firm's current business system.

The deal, which still needs review and approval by Taiwanese regulators, marks AIG's largest sale of a unit since a US government bailout saved it from collapse in 2008.(dpa)