Gary Locke in the limelight again as the frugal ambassador: Shanghaiist
In the meanwhile, Chinese press report the Ferrari driving playboy son of Bo Xilai's flash lifestyle and his affairs with two British women and wonder why China's own officials are nothing like Gary Locke.
Gary Locke in the limelight again as the frugal ambassador
Li Jiajia, reporter for Guangdong's Southern Television, who is in Hainan attending the ongoing Bo'ao Forum, found from the ambassador's aide that he wasn't staying at the forum's official hotel because it was *gasp* too expensive for him:
Her tweet, sent yesterday, has been reposted 13,000 times on Sina Weibo:
Gary Locke arrived today at the Bo'ao Forum. I thought he'd join many of the other heads of state at the forum's official hotel (the 5-star Sofitel Hotel). His aide told me, "No, it's too expensive. The rates provided by that hotel are three times the rate allowed by the US government for official visits and so the ambassador cannot stay there." Hence, the ambassador has decided to stay at the Qianzhouwan Holiday Hotel, which is nearby. I asked the aide how long the ambassador will be staying in Bo'ao. "He's gone tomorrow. If he can get things done in a day, he won't stay two days."
骆家辉今天抵达博鳌论坛。我以为他也像诸多与会元首一样就住在论坛会场套房(索菲特5星酒店),随行工作人员告诉我:“没,太贵了。酒店提供的价格是美国政府差旅财务规定的3倍,大使不能住。”于是骆订住附近的千舟湾度假酒店。我又问他会否在博鳌玩几天。“明天就走,能1天解决不会呆2天。”
In a later tweet, she added:
This really isn't Gary Locke putting on a show. Yesterday while sitting in at one of the sessions at the Forum, I met one of the Embassy staff that I knew from before and it was only through our small talk that I found that the ambassador wasn't staying at the Forum's official hotel. Because this was rather sensitive matter, I only published it on my Weibo after verifying the information myself. This wasn't a publicity exercise by the US Embassy, it was something that I as a journalist dug out for myself.
这真不是骆家辉作秀。昨天下午在会场听论坛,我碰到认识的领馆工作人员,寒暄中得知骆不住博鳌论坛大酒店。出于职业敏感,我立即核实相关信息,得到准确确认才发布花絮微博。美方从未主动散播信息,全是我作为记者“挖”出的料,何来作秀呢?
In the meanwhile, Chinese press report the Ferrari driving playboy son of Bo Xilai's flash lifestyle and his affairs with two British women and wonder why China's own officials are nothing like Gary Locke.