Bronfman digg
ORANGE GROVES AND CORRUPTION ALONG THE YANGTZE - 2007

1. (U) This cable contains business sensitive information - please protect accordingly.

2. (C) Summary. During a recent visit by Consul General and Congenoff to Chongqing's Zhongxian County, U.S. investors in a citrus cultivation project described the many trials and tribulations of trying to turn a profit in this remote corner of China.

3. (SBU) Consul General, Congenoff, and Consulate Econ Assistant recently visited Chongqing to investigate economic and social conditions in the Three Gorges Dam reservoir area...there they inspected a project undertaken by the Edgar M. Bronfman Citrus Company ("Bronfman") to develop an orange juice industry in the area.

4. (C) Before the visit, FAO officials contacted Consul General and made two requests: first, that Congenoffs would only visit certain orange groves designated by local officials; and second, that an FAO official be present whenever Congenoffs met with Bronfman representatives...

5. (C) In Zhongxian, Consul General and Congenoff met with Bronfman CEO Jeffrey S. Muir, Business Operations Director Cindy Lau, and Project Construction Director Rene Trevino (strictly protect all). Neither Chinese officials nor Consulate Econ Assistant attended, and the meeting took place in Muir's hotel room. Muir, an Amcit resident in Hong Kong, has more than 30 years of experience in China and in agricultural development generally, and he claims access to the highest levels of Chinese political leadership.
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https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07CHENGDU33_a.html
>Read the entire tale...