Committed liberals who take principled stands on the key issues are looking for a champion, and may have found one in Bernie Sanders, the socialist Senator from Vermont. Chinese billionaires, meanwhile, are also looking for a candidate who speaks to their concerns. Fortunately, they have Hillary Clinton.
Bloomberg reports:
A Hillary Clinton presidency would be "friendly" toward China despite the perception the architect of the U.S. military rebalance to Asia was a combative secretary of state, according to Chinese billionaire Yan Jiehe.
Yan Jiehe said he has met former U.S. President Bill Clinton at least five times since 2010, with Clinton attending the Shanghai wedding celebrations for Yan’s son, and met Hillary in the U.S. A sizable donor to the Clinton Foundation, Yan is the founder of China Pacific Construction Group.
First, some context: Bloomberg News suspended one of its reporters in 2013 for writing an article critical of the Chinese government and its ruling elite.
Yan Jiehe, who is sometimes described as the "Donald Trump of China," has been criticized for his aggressive construction practices. For example, Yan's company, in coordination with the Chinese government, literally flattened 700 mountains to make way for a $3.5 billion development project, despite warnings from environmental groups. In 2011, while Hillary was serving as secretary of state, Yan hosted a CEO forum in Shanghai that paid his "good friend" Bill Clinton $550,000 to speak.
"Lots of people say she’s not as friendly as her husband on China policies," Yan told Bloomberg. "But I believe she won’t hold up her tough stance on China once elected."
Has Bernie Sanders even met a Chinese billionaire? Didn't think so.
