Trump's agenda with Xi? Who knows? https://t.co/oYeLlSuUsm
— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) April 4, 2017
But since this is Lord Smallgloves’ court we’re talking about, things can always get more embarrassingly complicated. Per the NYTimes, “As Trump Meets Xi at Mar-a-Lago, There’s a ‘Wild Card’”:
… Mr. Guo Wengui is a Chinese property magnate who has been living outside the country for more than two years. In recent weeks, he has launched a broadside — in television interviews and on Twitter — criticizing the effectiveness of the Communist Party’s fight against corruption, all from the safety of financial capitals like London and New York. He is also a member at President Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, and posted photos of himself on the grounds last month with Mar-a-Lago’s managing director.
Mr. Guo’s newly public persona — more akin to a dissident Russian oligarch and highly unusual in Chinese politics — comes at an awkward time, just before China’s president, Xi Jinping, and Mr. Trump are to meet at the resort for their first summit meeting. The Chinese billionaire’s ties to the club are a new twist in how President Trump’s business interests can complicate diplomacy, in this case with arguably the world’s most important bilateral relationship…
At the very least, it would be embarrassing if Mr. Guo, who is also known as Miles Kwok, were to show up at the seaside resort during the meeting Thursday and Friday. At worst, his presence could incense Mr. Xi and the Chinese delegation. Mr. Guo left China during a corruption scandal linked to the jailing of his political patron, a top security official. Mr. Guo said his assets in China — he puts the figure at more than $17 billion — were seized…
Mr. Guo’s membership could be especially sensitive because of the lengths China’s leaders go to stamp out any political discussion that deviates from the Communist Party line, particularly remarks about the wealth of top leaders. Mr. Guo has leveled specific accusations against a former top party leader.
In two recent Chinese-language interviews and on Twitter, Mr. Guo, while highly critical of many current and former Chinese leaders, has praised Mr. Xi, or at least refrained from directly criticizing him…
China has more billionaires than any other country with the possible exception of the United States, but none as outspoken and flamboyant as Mr. Guo. He has a penchant for posting photos of himself in workout tights and camouflage, performing planks and other exercises. He sips vintage French wine in front of a picture of an aviator glasses-wearing, cigarette-smoking chimpanzee in his London office and likes to show off the private jets he uses for his frequent trans-Atlantic flights. One American who met with him described him as affable.
But Mr. Guo is anything but happy-go-lucky. He built a fortune in the Darwinian world of Chinese real estate, and people who crossed him soon rued the day. In 2006, he handed to the police a sex tape of a Beijing deputy mayor who had disputed one of his land deals. The official was imprisoned and Mr. Guo got the property, building the torch-shaped Pangu Plaza next to Beijing’s Olympic Green, a landmark during the 2008 Summer Games…
It’s like a Trollope novel, as written by John le Carre.
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Guo Wengui, a/k/a Miles Kwok @KwokMiles – at Trump's Mar-a-Lago last month. He's a member.https://t.co/VpEX83j0Mv pic.twitter.com/wrk1ZQedqN
— Mike Forsythe 傅才德 (@PekingMike) April 4, 2017
Open Thread: Social Notes from the Global KleptocracyPost + Comments (159)