DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2002�
Visit to Shenzhen, Clinton Make $250,000
China Times May 25, 2002
Beijing -- Former US President Bill Clinton yesterday made
his firswt visit to mainland China since leaving office. The visit was at
the invitation of a Mainland Chinese real estate firm which asked him to
make a speech in Shenzhen, the topic was "The World Trade Organization and
China's Real Estate Economy." After completing his half-hour speech, the
real estate firm which invited him paid him an honorarium of US$250,000.
The symposium was hosted by noted Chinese master of ceremonies Yang Lan,
and
there were over 300 people in the audience, made up of CHinese, Hong Kong
and American political and business celebrities, including Shenzhen Mayor
Yu
Huanjun, and the American Consul general in Guangzhou.
Today's Guangzhou Daily News revealed that Clinton's speech, which was
scheduled to begin at 9:30 am, was pushed back over an hour when his
flight
was delayed. The 30-minute talk on "WTO and China's Real Estate Economy"
was marked by not a few digressions and ad-libbed comments, leaving the
impression that he did not have sufficient knowledge of the subject, that
his focus was scattered, and mid-way through the presentation, several
listeners were seen to be taking out their earpieces through which they
heard the translation.
After the speech, members of the audience asked serious questions about
the
world economy and the political situation, including questions about the
effect of WTO membership on Shenzhen's situation, which the former
president
had no way of answering. In answering a question on how he thought the
middle east crisis could be resolved, he wrung his hands together and
answered "I don't know, I really don't know." At this, a sound of
suppressed laughter rippled through the audience.
END
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