[ad_1]
BEIJING – "Dr. Charles "launches himself as an intermediary towards American power. His social media pages and his organization's website – boldly called the United Nations Association for Chinese Friendship – are one that is one of Florida's Republicans and glitzy Mar-a-Lago dinners.
He boasts of meeting Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and President Trump's elder sister Elizabeth in the Mar-a-Lago banquet hall "at the invitation" of the Committee. national republican. He took pictures in Mar-a-Lago with women in glittering evening dresses or selfies with Trump in the background, giving a speech at his Florida club.
In other book-style photos, he poses, wearing a red silk jacket, in front of the "Trump Pence Victory" signs at Republican events.
But "Dr. Charles "does not seem to be a doctor or a Charles. And his organization, along with a so-called imprimatur of the United Nations, also appears to be a commercial traffic smuggling operation in search of a veneer of respectability.
"Dr. Charles, "whose real name is Li Weitian, according to the bank records, has become a central figure in the Chinese effort to get closer to Trump and influential Republicans.
He travels so regularly to the President's National Club in Florida, that Yujing Zhang – the Chinese woman arrested on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago – told the Secret Service agents that she was there to meet "her Chinese friend Charles" .
During a meeting with a receptionist, Zhang also mentioned a group with the same name as the Chinese Friendship Association of the United Nations.
"Charles" claims to be general secretary of the group, legally registered in Delaware on June 15, 2011, according to a statement posted on Business Wire in 2012.
The same statement stated that at the end of November this year, "Charles" had met You Lantian, Deputy Director of the Labor Department of the United Front. This department is an influential unit of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, responsible for coordinating this type of influence operation.
[Chinese woman carrying thumb drive with malware arrested at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort]
A photo of "Charles" and yourself appeared on the front page of the association's website. The Miami Herald reported that it had been suppressed after the newspaper had published an article on "Charles," which the newspaper had identified as going to Charles Lee.
Since the creation of the association, he seems to have devoted himself to collecting photos with influential people in the United States, often opportunistic selfies when the "celebrity" is not even aware of being photographed.
On QQ, a Chinese social media application, he published photos of himself with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon.
There is also a photo that seems to be "Dr. Charles" posing with Trump on a blue background. Trump gives his trademark and Charles is wearing a gray Mao jacket, but it is not clear if the photo is authentic.
His QQ profile page shows "Charles", arms crossed, on the cover of a magazine titled "People of the Century".
"Charles, who created the UNCFA," explains the magazine's cover that he published on QQ on March 6. It's not clear if the magazine's cover is authentic.
Last month, he published an advertisement for a tour of the US Military Academy West Point, where he claimed that former President Barack Obama would speak. "You can participate in a meeting with Obama and other celebrities and take pictures with them," he said, citing the dates of the 18-25 June tour.
The Obama office said it was not its intention to speak at West Point in June.
Earlier, "Charles" had proposed a trip to Omaha in May to "shake hands and take photos" with investor-billionaire Warren Buffett.
In August, he paid for his face to be visible on the Nasdaq Times Square billboard – and then submitted an article about it to a Chinese publication, People of China Weekly, a website. imitation designed to look like that of the People's Daily. , the main newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
"At a place known as the crossroads of the world, it [Charles] have joined the Fortune 500 entrepreneurs on the same world stage to show the world that the Chinese are dedicated to peace in the world, "says the article. "We will be American peacekeepers and we will fight to have greater influence in terms of global advertising, on behalf of all Chinese from around the world."
[[[[Read the criminal complaint: United States of America c. Yujing Zhang ]
"Charles" has built a business in which potential Chinese customers are encouraged to think that he can get them through the same doors.
"We are part of the United Nations. If you pay money, you can be a member of his group, he told the Southern Weekend newspaper in January.
However, the United Nations Association for Chinese Friendship does not appear on any list of non-governmental organizations affiliated with the United Kingdom.
He added that membership would allow attendees to attend events similar to those that he had posted on his WeChat social network account, himself participating in events with George W. Bush and Warren Buffett. "There are many opportunities like this," he boasted.
The basic membership, which costs about $ 450 a year, is accompanied by a certificate and a bronze medal from his Chinese Friendship Association of the United Nations. There are membership levels, with the Vice President level – $ 30,000 – offering the opportunity to attend state-of-the-art visits.
"Improved services allow us to organize schedules more flexibly and help you invite government officials, experts and academics to become your consultants," he told the paper. "The higher the price, the higher the privilege."
His association 's literature indicated that the dues were to be paid into a bank account owned by the Beijing Peace and Friendship Society, registered as Li Weitian.
In a document still available online, describing a trip that he was proposing to the United States in December 2012, "Charles" announced that he would be taking members to the UN headquarters in New York, where he said that former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. would make speeches. The American news site lists Bloomberg and Clinton at an American event in October, but there was no talk of December appearances.
He also offered a trip to the White House and "visiting Asian politicians and leaders" in Washington, and attended a conference at Harvard where there would be "several professors".
The 2012 documents list a series of "honorary" associates of the group, including political and commercial figures from the United States, Europe and Asia. And last year's documents indicate that several US political actors hold honorary roles within the association.
[[[[Trump transforms Mar-a-Lago club terrace into an outdoor playhouse ]
Despite all the boasters, little is known about the man behind this association.
His LinkedIn page, where his profile picture shows him with Ban Ki-moon in a black bowtie, a sign met during a ceremony, simply names him "Charles" in English and Chinese. He is based in Beijing's central Chaoyang district.
He lists his professional background as general secretary of the Chinese Friendship Association of the United Nations, without providing a date, and as CEO of "US Wall Street Capital, an investment group ".
The Beijing branch of investment firm Wall Street Capital, registered under the name "Heigan McBob", had its operating license revoked in 2012, according to Alibaba's credit records.
For his studies, "Charles" wrote "Ph.D. in Management of Golden State University" and gave the dates from 2008 to 2020, which suggests that he is continuing his studies. The website of Golden State University indicates that it is based in South Los Angeles and offers a Masters degree in Asian Medicine. It does not show a doctoral program or management courses.
The university did not respond immediately to the claims.
His only other qualification comes from the United Nations Certification Association. This association has a website only in Chinese and, again, it does not seem to be related to the UN.
Washington Post reporters visited Wednesday the Beijing speech of the United Nations Association for Chinese Friendship, but found no such organization. The property management company said that there was no trace of such a tenant.
The Post also sent WeChat messages to the number shown on Li's page, including advertisements showing a picture of the Trump family and the caption "An invitation to meet Trump at a banquet in Mar-a-Lago". ". Peace Dove ", and when asked if it belonged to Charles, the user returned a photo of Trump raising his thumb.
The person did not answer the question of whether she knew Zhang or what she was trying to do in Mar-a-Lago. Instead, they prevented the journalist from contacting him.
Wang Yuan, Lyric Li and Liu Yang in Beijing and Carol Morello, Brian Murphy and Juliet Eilperin in Washington contributed to this report.
Read more
Today's coverage of Swiss Post correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay informed about foreign news
[ad_2]
Source link