Gov. Schwarzenegger embarks on China visit (AP) Updated: 2005-11-13 14:21
LOS ANGELES - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to jet to China and Hong Kong
this weekend, where he'll try to exchange his blistered campaign image for the
role of celebrity statesman and retailer.
California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with supporters during his third
'Conversations with Californians,' a town hall-style meeting Friday, Sept.
16, 2005, in San Diego. Schwarzenegger confirmed an open secret Friday,
telling supporters that he's running for re-election next year _ an early
announcement designed to re-energize his sagging political momentum.
[AP] | The Republican governor's
long-scheduled, six-day tour will take him to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to
promote trade along the Pacific Rim. He'll arrive Monday with a group of nearly
80 corporate and business executives eager to sell products from pharmaceuticals
to chardonnay to Mickey Mouse.
For Schwarzenegger, the trip provides a convenient opportunity for favorable
publicity just days after his collapse at the polls — voters rejected all four
of his "year of reform" ballot proposals Tuesday, severely downsizing his
Terminator political reputation.
The China trip "does have the effect of changing the subject," said Jim
Brulte, the state Senate's former Republican leader.
Schwarzenegger is scheduled to leave California Sunday and arrive Monday in
Beijing, heading directly to a Special Olympics ceremony and an evening
reception with the members of his business entourage.
Along with business meetings and forums to pitch California products,
Schwarzenegger will attend a film premiere in Shanghai, give a speech at Qinghua
University and tour a steel factory.
Nearly 80 companies and trade groups are sending executives to accompany the
governor, including the Walt Disney Co., Miller Brewing, Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp. and Pfizer Inc., according to the governor's office.
A business-connected foundation is picking up part of the trip's costs in an
arrangement that alarmed good-government advocates.
Many costs for Schwarzenegger and his aides will be paid by the tax-exempt
California Protocol Foundation, which is soliciting contributions of up to
$50,000 from business donors, The Sacramento Bee reported last month. The
foundation, affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce, is not
disclosing its contributor list, the newspaper said.
"This is a government getting favors from who knows?" said Robert Stern,
president of the Center for Governmental Studies. "It's important we know who is
trying to curry favor with the governor."
Schwarzenegger spokesman Rob Stutzman said the foundation had funded trips
for two previous governors.
"They're onto us," Stutzman said in an e-mail. "We're trying to improve
California businesses. Guilty."
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