TOLEDO'S CHINA CONNECTION

Statement from Wu Kin Hung

Dashing Pacific Group

2/19/2012

After initially agreeing to be interviewed by The Blade by telephone on Jan. 31, Wu Kin Hung backed out of the interview. His son, Jimmy Wu, said his father was traveling on business.

READ MORE: Toledo's China Connection -- A Blade Special Report

Here are the questions The Blade sent Wu Kin Hung:

Mr. Wu, thank you for taking the time to review these questions:

As we have told officials from the Regional Growth Partnership, we are doing a profile on you since your purchased The Docks and the Marina District — two projects essential to the development of the city of Toledo.

When, where, and how did you meet Yuan Xiaohong?

Do you have a family relationship?

What attracted you to Toledo?

What do you plan for the Marina District?

Do you plan to apply for U.S. citizenship?

Do you think you may eventually make your home in Toledo?

The Economist Magazine last month launched a weekly section devoted to China, the first time the magazine says since 1942 that it has singled out a single country for scrutiny. The Economist listed several reasons for this decision, primarily that "China is governed by a system that is out of step with global norms."

Do you think this is unfair? And do you think Toledoans should be concerned that the money used to buy The Docks and the Marina District came from such a system that is out of step with global norms?

Mr. Wu, before we discuss your business dealings in Shenzen, we’d like to confirm some biographical information about you.

Were you born in June, 1956, as the second of four children?

Were you born about 170 miles north of Shenzhen in Longchuan County, Guangdong Province?

Would you tell us the names of your parents?

Were they members of the Chinese Communist Party?

What is your wife’s name, and how long have you been married?

Do you have children other than Jimmy?

Could you tell me how you gained admittance to South China University of Technology?

You attended the South China University of Technology in 1977, studied architecture, graduated three years later, and were assigned to work at the Shenzhen Construction Commission. Did the Communist Party assign you to work at the Shenzen Construction Commission?

Were you a member of the Chinese Communist Party when you were in college?

Are you now a member of the Chinese Communist Party?

What was your job at the Shenzhen Construction Commission?

What was your role in the early 1980s in the development of Shenzhen?

We have been told you were posted to the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation with central government approval at the behest of Luo Jinxing, who was the deputy director of the Shenzhen Property Development Management Bureau. Is that accurate?

What was your relationship to Luo Jinxing?

What was your job at the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation?

Were you involved with the 1993 privatization of the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation into Shenzhen’s largest real estate company.

Did you hold the title of deputy section chief at the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation?

What was your role in development of the Shenzhen International Trade Building?

Were you close to Li Chuanfang, who became deputy mayor of Shenzhen?

Was Li Chuanfang your most important political supporter?

What role did governmental connections play in your success?

When land auctions became authorized in 1987 in China, how did you select the bidders to whom the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation would award land?

In America, a job at a government office like the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation would pay a middle class salary. Did you benefit financially from your post at the Shenzhen Property Development Corporation in addition to your salary?

Did developers make payments to you personally?

We have been told that you have connections to powerful people in China’s Communist Party. Among them are Deng Xiaoping’s niece, Ding Peng; two of China’s most well-known military figures, Wang Zhen and Ye Jianying, and relatives of Wen Jiabao, China’s current prime minister, and of Xi Jinping, who is slated to take over the presidency of China from Hu Jintao in 2012. Is this accurate?

What years were you general manager of Shenzhen Airport Terminal?

What was you role at the Shenzhen Airport Construction Office?

What was your role in building the airport?

We have been told because of your successes there were inquiries or investigations initiated by the Shenzhen Procuratorate connected to your work at the airport? We are told the investigations were dismissed without you being charged. Can you tell us more about this investigation?

We have been told that you were hired by Kumagai Gumi and put in charge of construction of the Shenzhen Empire Building. What was your role at Kumagai Gumi?

Eventually you started your own businesses with your wife? Could you please tell us about your private businesses in Shenzhen and elsewhere in China?

We have also been told you were connected to the Shenzhen water reservoir authority. Can you tell us about that? What did you do at the reservoir authority?

We have been told you are a part owner of Shenzhen Yipeng Industry Co. What does Yipeng Industry do?

It appears from records in China that you set up Shenzhen Weipeng Industry Co. Ltd, with investment from Yipeng Industry. The records show you built a large apartment complex — Weipeng Gardens. Could you please describe the complex?

Records show Weipeng Gardens had a loss of 510,000 RMB in 2009 and a loss of 1,240,000 RMB in 2010. Could you please talk about the financial difficulty the company has had at Weipeng Gardens and the cause of that difficulty?

What is the status of Weipeng Gardens? How many units are in the complex and how many are still unsold?

What does Yipeng Biological do?

Do you own or have ownership interests in any other companies in China or outside of China?

I’d like to ask you a few more questions about your efforts to help develop Shenzhen.

We’ve read that there have been protests in China when people have been removed from their homes and farms to make way for development. The Economist also reported last month that "land grabs by local officials are a huge source of anger." As a property development official in the government of in Szenzhen were you ever involved in moving people off their land to make way for development?

Mr. Wu, we know it is not customary for you to be asked questions by journalists, especially about your personal background. We thank you for your patience and the answers you give us. Our goal is to inform our readers in Toledo about you and your plans in Toledo.

Thank you again for your time.

 

 

The Wu family, through its representatives at Rudolph-Libbe Co., issued the following statement:

"We are very grateful to the many Toledo residents who have welcomed us into their lives and homes. We have found the City of Toledo to be a friendly, peaceful and beautiful place, and we want to do something positive in this community. Our belief is that relationships and trust are essential to conducting business successfully. This belief guides us in our approach to business and to life in general. We have complied with all laws and business standards in China and have worked diligently for many years to earn the respect of our business partners there. We look forward to building a long-term positive relationship with the Toledo community. We respect the mission of the media to provide information to the American public, and Dashing Pacific is committed to providing information regarding the development of the Marina District as it becomes available. However, based on our review of your questions, we have decided not to participate in this interview.

Warm regards,

Kin Wu and Jimmy Wu"