For instance, on
November 5, 2011, one of Archer’s business contacts
forwarded him an email teasing an opportunity to gain “potentially
outstanding new clients” by helping to arrange White House meetings for a
group of Chinese executives and government officials. The group was the
China Entrepreneur Club (CEC) and the delegation included Chinese
billionaires, Chinese Communist Party loyalists, and at least one
“respected diplomat” from Beijing. Despite its benign name, CEC has been
called “
a second foreign ministry”
for the People’s Republic of China—a communist government that closely
controls most businesses in its country. CEC was established in 2006 by a
group of businessmen and Chinese government diplomats.
CEC’s leadership boasts numerous senior members of the Chinese Communist Party, including Wang Zhongyu (“vice chairman of the 10th CPPCC National Committee and deputy secretary of the Party group”), Ma Weihua (director of multiple Chinese Communist Party offices), and Jiang Xipei (member of the Chinese Communist Party and representative of the 16th National Congress), among others.
“I know it is political season and people are hesitant but a group
like this does not come along every day,” an intermediary named Mohamed
A. Khashoggi wrote on behalf of the CEC to an associate of Hunter Biden
and Devon Archer. “A tour of the white house and a meeting with a member
of the chief of staff’s office and John Kerry would be great,”
Khashoggi said before including what should have been a major red flag:
“Not sure if one has to be registered to do this.” Presumably, Khashoggi
meant a registered lobbyist under the Foreign Agents Registration Act
(FARA).
Khashoggi believed the trip presented “a soft diplomacy play that
could be very effective” and would give Hunter Biden’s business partners
“good access to [the Chinese] for any deal in the future.”
Indeed, the email boasted of CEC’s wealthy membership:
CEC’s current membership includes 50 preeminent figures
such as: Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of the CEC, Legend Holdings and Lenovo
Group; Wu Jinglian, Zhang Weiying, and Zhou Qiren, China’s esteemed
economists; Wu Jianmin, respected diplomat; Long Yongtu, representative
of China’s globalization; Wang Shi (Vanke); Ma Weihua (China Merchants
Bank); Jack Ma (Alibaba Group); Guo Guangchang (Fosun Group); Wang
Jianlin, (Wanda Group); Niu Gensheng (LAONIU Foundation); Li Shufu
(Geely); Li Dongsheng (TCL Corporation); Feng Lun (Vantone) and etc.
The gross income of the CEC members’ companies allegedly “totaled
more than RMB 1.5 trillion, together accounting for roughly 4% of
China’s GDP.” The overture to Hunter Biden’s associates described the
Chinese CEC members variously as “industrial elites,” “highly
influential,” and among “the most important private sector individuals
in China today.”
Before contacting Hunter Biden’s associates, the CEC had been trying
to get meetings with top Obama-Biden administration officials to no
avail. “From the DC side as you will see below they [CEC] have written
letters to several members of the administration and others and have so
far not had a strong reaction.”
“This is China Inc,” wrote Khashoggi in the email, referring to the delegation of Chinese billionaires.
“Biggest priority for the CEC group is to see the White House, and
have a senior US politician, or senior member of Obama’s administration,
give them a tour… If your friend in DC can help, we would be extremely
grateful,” Khashoggi emphasized.
Hunter Biden and Devon Archer apparently delivered for the Chinese Communist Party-connected industrial elites within ten days .
The original Oct. 19, 2011, email from Khashoggi was sent to Gary
Fears — a controversial political fundraiser with a checkered history
who was caught up in a riverboat casino scandal in the mid-1990s — who
forwarded it on to Archer a couple weeks later on Nov. 5, 2011.
Time was short, as Khashoggi’s original email noted that the Chinese
delegation would be in DC on Nov. 14, 2011. Fears told Archer to “reach
out” to Khashoggi about the request regarding getting the Chinese
businesspersons and officials into the Obama White House, adding it
would be “perfect for” Archer to also “attend” with them and then “get
guys for the potash deal.”
The same day Fears sent Khashoggi’s message to him, Archer took the
email from Fears and sent to Khashoggi a business proposal for a potash
mine deal he had lined up.
Six days after the initial overture, Archer received a followup email
asking how a meeting with CEC’s representative went. The email closed
with “Do me a favor and ask Hunter [Biden] to call me — I’ve tried
reaching him a couple of times.” Archer responded, “Hunter is traveling
in the UAE for the week with royalty so probably next week before he
will be back in pocket…. The meeting with [CEC representative] was good.
Seems like there is a lot to do together down the line. Probably not a
fit for the current Potash private placement but he’s a good strategic
relationship as the mine develops. Definitely have a drink with Mohammed
and let him know how impressed I was with his whole deal.”
