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<DIV>"Beijing Gala"<BR><BR>President Xia Hong<BR>People's Republic of
China<BR><BR>Ambassadeur Mei Broussard<BR>French Republic<BR><BR>Ambassador
Mihail Demerov<BR>Russia<BR><BR>Ambassador Seno
Kurita<BR>Japan<BR><BR>Ambassador Chien Xi Pai<BR>United
States<BR><BR><BR><BR>20, January
2013<BR>================================================<BR><BR>(The People's
Ball Room- Executive Residence, Beijing)<BR><BR>The Beijing Philiharmonic and
the People's National Orchestra provided an<BR>incredibly beautiful musical
selection for the Gala, played with the<BR>expertise and precision one would
expect from two of the world's finest<BR>musical bodies.<BR><BR>The room itself
was cavernous and beautifully ornate. Hardwood floors,<BR>beautiful chandeliers,
elegant dining tables, the finest china and eating<BR>utensils, handcrafted
gifts of the elite to the People's Estate, often<BR>repaid with tickets to this
very event.<BR><BR>Hundreds of the most important people from across the globe
adorned in their<BR>finery were assembled in the room. Politicians she'd
targeted for wooing<BR>into her 'sub-party' as it had been called, businessmen
looking for the next<BR>'big deal', others seeking to receive or protect
lucrative contracts,<BR>diplomats and reporters, military officers and
intelligence experts... and<BR>among them as well as scattered outside a small
army assembled to provide<BR>for the security of this, the Peoples Estate's
first appearance to the<BR>outside world.<BR><BR>She'd forced herself to learn
to appreciate these kind of events. Her<BR>Grandfather used to take her to the
military balls when she had first come<BR>home, a grand daughter of marrying age
happened to garner a lot of attention<BR>from the single sons of his comrades
and of defense industry specialists.<BR>She knew even then what his intention
was, but was more than happy to play<BR>her role, to smile, feign timidity, and
collect amazing free gifts. Her<BR>father did the same when she was in
America... it must have been a world<BR>tradition showing off the kids, and
currying favor with the parents by<BR>bribing said children. Then when she'd
married Wen, all kinds of business<BR>executives, people she'd tried hard
ignoring her entire life, suddenly<BR>wanted to know her, chat with her, meet
Chan and Mei... hell one<BR>industrialist from Hong Kong provided the dress she
was wearing tonight just<BR>to find out what Wen's favorite tea
was.<BR><BR>Still, none of those gatherings compared in importance to
this.<BR><BR>She walked through the room, donning a silk broccade, traditional
ceremonial<BR>dress with gold embroidered trim. It was simple compared to some
of the<BR>dresses submitted by China's fashion specialists wanting a little
publicity<BR>for their creations, but it was comfortable and suitably elegant,
so she<BR>went with it. There would be plenty of other occasions for them to get
their<BR>play time. Her dark hair was clipped back with a traditional oriental
clip,<BR>and a yellow carnation had been well placed in it; symbolic of the
stars on<BR>China's flag so she was told.<BR><BR>"So how do I look?"<BR><BR>Chan
turned around and grinned. "Beautiful as always Mom."<BR><BR>Xia laughed. "I'd
feel better if you weren't my son and compelled to say<BR>that." Her smile still
broad on her face, she smoothed out his dress<BR>uniform. "Very handsome, the
uniform suits you. Now, this room is 'full' of<BR>beautiful
women..."<BR><BR>"Mom I'm not looking..."<BR><BR>"I didn't say you 'had' to
Chan." She interrupted him. "But it would be a<BR>waste of the moment not to at
least... speak... with some of them would it<BR>not? You'd be surprised,
the simplistic joy that comes with the company of<BR>the opposite sex, romantic
or not, is one of life's finer pleasures and I<BR>'will not' allow my son to
miss it so that he can hang onto the arm of his<BR>mother, is that
understood?"<BR><BR>His eyes avoided hers for a moment, but in a good, bashful
way. "Yes ma'am."<BR><BR>"Good, now go mingle. Where's your sister?"<BR><BR>"Not
that you can tell from here, but she's behind those three
gentlemen..."<BR><BR>"Ahhh... my daughter has good tastes." Xia smiled. "Go, I
have some...<BR>guests... I need to speak with."<BR><BR>Ambassadeur Mei
Broussard of the French Republic had subtly kept her eye on<BR>the Chinese
President since she'd arrived. Mei always considered other women<BR>to be more
dangerous than men ­ they were more focused and less susceptible<BR>to
charm. She had been selected by President Durant for just that sort
of<BR>caution and precision, and she had agreed to serve as Ambassadeur en
Chine<BR>for no small concessions from the Presidency.<BR><BR>But the
concessions had been worth it as far as Durant was concerned. In<BR>many ways,
Mei Broussard was tailor-made for the position. Born in Macau to<BR>a French
businessman and his Chinese wife, Mei was well acquainted with the<BR>Chinese
language, culture and way of life but in the final analysis she had<BR>always
gravitated toward her French heritage. She quickly proved her<BR>business skills
at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales in Paris and<BR>assumed control of
her father's business interests in China shortly<BR>thereafter. The Board of
Directors had meticulously been stacked in her<BR>favour over the years, so she
was perfectly willing to take a small leave of<BR>absence in order to serve the
Republic.<BR><BR>Mei always preferred to approach from behind, as she slowly did
now. Her<BR>dress was constrictive but beautifully designed in
an<BR>Indochine-style by one of Paris's premier designers. Some sort of
predatory<BR>instinct told her speaking from behind someone gave her some
small<BR>advantage, and she was just as pleased with that as she was with the
small<BR>difference in height (in her favour, thanks to heels) with the
Chinese<BR>President. Mei recognized the man she was speaking with as a Hong
Kong-based<BR>businessman; she knew his company grossed less than her own, so
she felt it<BR>was more than appropriate to interrupt. Aside from that she was
the<BR>Ambassador of the French Republic after all.<BR><BR>"Madam President,
forgive me for interrupting, but I just wanted to say it's<BR>a pleasure to see
you again," Mei said, flashing a cosmetically perfected<BR>smile (the
Ambassadeur was competing with some Hollywood actresses for<BR>number of plastic
surgeries done). She extended a hand in the other woman's<BR>direction and
pressed on. "The People's Estate is quite something to behold;<BR>if I didn't
know any better, I'd say someone is trying to construct the<BR>Versailles of the
East. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm as big a fan of<BR>grandeur and
largesse as any Frenchman, and I quite think the People's<BR>Republic is in a
better position than the rest of us to afford all of this."<BR><BR>Xia offered a
congenial smile in return, graciously accepting the French<BR>Ambassador's hand.
Xia had always been pretty tall in comparison to her<BR>countrywomen, the result
of half American genes, so 'not' being the tallest<BR>in the room was a strange,
albeit welcomed, change of pace. "The People of<BR>China deserve nothing
less, and I'm quite honored that you would think it<BR>the Versailles of the
East. It may not have the prestige of age, but for too<BR>long the seat of
Chinese government had been without a permanent home. We in<BR>the Congress felt
it was time to provide a central locale for the Executive,<BR>rather than the
numerous, classified, locations that had been used in the<BR>past. The fewer
secrets between a Government and its people, the better,<BR>wouldn't you say
Ambassador?"<BR><BR>The French Ambassador arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Try
telling that to<BR>the North Koreans."<BR><BR>"The North Korean situation is...
depressing." Xia frowned momentarily,<BR>steeped in contemplation. "An entire
society subjected to the whims of a<BR>dynasty is not one that can survive
indefinitely. Unfortunately, the North<BR>Korean government is determined to
test that fact. We as foreign nations<BR>have no right to interfere in Korean
matters, however North Korea's people<BR>deserve better."<BR><BR>"I'm sure the
Americans will be happy about a Chinese regional<BR>non-interference policy but
those of us concerned about human rights and<BR>North Korea's nuclear weapon's
programme would like to see some movement<BR>taken on both accounts. The
Northerners aren't good for regional stability<BR>and regional instability is
not good for investment," Mei replied.<BR><BR>Her own business interests gave
her a vested interest in the matter of North<BR>Korea and unbeknownst to the
Chinese the French Foreign Minister had just<BR>wrapped up a teleconference with
Ambassadeur Broussard and President Durant<BR>discussing the issue of North
Korea. France remained one of only two<BR>European countries which refused to
recognize North Korea, instead<BR>recognizing South Korea's sovereignty over the
entirety of the peninsula.<BR>Despite the lacked of recognition they still had a
number of options before<BR>them, including denying North Korean students the
right to study in France<BR>and instituting a complete economic
embargo.<BR><BR>"President Durant and I have discussed unilateral action on the
matter;<BR>however, he would much rather work through a regional framework to
address<BR>the problem. But if China is unprepared to move on the issue, we
completely<BR>understand, and I'll relay to the President that we should seek
other ways<BR>to address the Koreas," she continued, sipping from her champagne
and<BR>glancing tellingly over the edge of the champagne flute at the
Japanese<BR>ambassador.<BR><BR>"I'm sure President Durant is more appreciative
of the delicacies of<BR>diplomatic protocol than to suggest that France might
engage in some<BR>sort of action without the consent of those it would
effect. Such an<BR>action would be most undemocratic, most
Bush-like. One would hope<BR>such a fine man as himself, in the role of
leader of such a fine<BR>nation as France, would know the lesson of that era...
Pre-emptive war<BR>is an ultimate act of desperation. One that has the
unfortunate<BR>consequences, historically, of forcing the hands of regional
powers<BR>whom would otherwise be content to pursue a normalization of
relations<BR>with the instigating country. Particularly given that this
particular<BR>region has a long history of hostility towards Western
imperialism...<BR>and certain nations may... strenuously... object to the
occupation of<BR>even a hated neighbor by clear foreigners. I certainly
could not<BR>guarantee China would not be swayed to defend such a neighbor
under<BR>like circumstances." Xia gave a wan smile, hoping the message
was<BR>nuanced, but clear, enough.<BR><BR>"I have been instructed by President
Durant to deliver our official<BR>congratulations to you on the completion of
the facility. I believe he is<BR>sending along something to help outfit it and
some champagne or something,"<BR>Mei said, waving a hand as if to dismiss the
gesture. In her opinion they<BR>were so common and frequently so insincere as to
be inconsequential. "More<BR>to the point, he is interested in exploring
Franco-Chinese relations. No<BR>doubt you have noted that the European Union is
losing some degree of<BR>cohesion; France regards it as a temporary setback on
the road to greater<BR>European integration but we cannot disregard our own
foreign policy while<BR>waiting for the E.U. to recover."<BR><BR>"Please pass on
my personal, and the people's general, gratitude for<BR>your gift. As for
France's foreign affairs agenda, China would most<BR>certainly accept friendship
with open arms. I feel there are many<BR>areas where cooperation would be
mutually beneficial. Where would the<BR>President prefer
beginning?"<BR><BR>"My last conversation with him indicated he was looking into
exploring<BR>cooperation on energy issues, especially in Central Asia. You may
be<BR>aware of the impending completion of the Nabucco pipeline running
into<BR>Central Europe. France is interested in hooking up to the
pipeline,<BR>and I believe President Durant is interested in developing
a<BR>partnership with China to develop the energy resources in the
region."<BR><BR>"That is quite an interesting proposal madame Ambassador.
I look forward to discussing the topic with him in person, but you'll have to
forgive me if I cannot give you an answer today. The people deserve a
leader whom makes well informed and educated choices, unfortunately I'm not
familiar with the pipeline or the issues surrounding it. I'd be happy to
speak with the you, or President Durant, at a later date. I wish we could
continue this discussion Ambassador, but..." Xia peered over at Aaryn who
was continuing to make a subdued 'get here now' wave. "I believe I'm
needed elsewhere. Please enjoy the banquet."<BR><BR>Mihail arrived and had
quickly melted into the formally dressed<BR>throng. It was an old
habit of his, best to eavesdrop on the<BR>conversations around him since
you never could guess at what<BR>conversations abounded. Even if
there was nothing of potential<BR>import, at least the food was good here
so coming wouldn't be a total<BR>loss.<BR><BR>Though, in all honesty he
did have a strong liking for China. Funny<BR>enough to think it stemmed from
when he was a child and his friend<BR>Demitri who's father did well in the black
market had acquired some of<BR>what the Americans called 'chop socky' martial
arts films. The acting<BR>was horrible, the dubbing even worse, but it was the
backgrounds that<BR>pulled him into wanting to know more, even backpacking
through some of<BR>the rural country and giving his Chinese a more
Szhewan/Canton twang<BR>than the usual Mandarin.<BR><BR>He saw President Hong
making the rounds, she was a pleasing enough<BR>woman, though too skinny in his
opinion. He would bide his time for<BR>when she had a moment so they could speak
the obligatory pleasantries.<BR><BR>Having finished her conversation with the
French Ambassador, and the more<BR>pushy business people in the crowd, Aaryn had
non-challantly directed her<BR>boss to the Russian Ambassador. After all, their
governments were likely<BR>destined to work together and thus keeping the man
waiting was by no means<BR>desirable. "Mister Ambassador, welcome to Beijing. I
understand your<BR>President recently appointed you as Chief of Mission to our
fair nation?"<BR><BR>"If you asked Madame President Malevich, I nagged for the
position.",<BR>Demitri chuckled, "Your country is exquisite and I look forward
to my<BR>time here." It was clear that he truly meant the sentiment
rather<BR>than the generic platitudes that tended to abound at these sort
of<BR>affairs.<BR><BR>"I look forward to working with you towards the mutual
benefit of both<BR>our nations, Ambassador." Xia smiled, at least he
seemed to be<BR>comfortable. He could be nice to work with.<BR><BR>"As do
I.", Mihail said with a warm smile and polite nod. In the<BR>corners of
his eyes he could see the others milling about much like<BR>sharks ready to
descend. While not a literal blood frenzy, he'd been<BR>to enough of these
gatherings to know that many would treat this like<BR>a press to push forth
whatever agendas or points they could as if the<BR>world would end
tomorrow. Had that been the case, who really cared<BR>about matters of
state? He simply faded slightly as the others<BR>approached. While
there were a few points that would need to be<BR>discussed as far as trade
matters went, now was not the time when<BR>first impressions were to be made as
far as he was concerned. There<BR>would be ample time for weighty
discussions later, and to be honest,<BR>the tray of dumpling appetizers was
looking particularly divine.<BR><BR>As all this was going on, a graying Asian
man doted on the food table.<BR>Ambassador Seno Kurita was an old hand at
diplomacy, a career civil servant<BR>who had been rewarded for his years of
skilled (and non-partisan) service<BR>with the highly prestigious spot as
Japan's ambassador to Red China. Prime<BR>Minister Ahkahita had hoped to send
the Foreign Minister himself to this<BR>event but the recent shakeup in Tokyo
stemming from the last Cabinet<BR>Secretary's assassination had prevented that
from coming about. Still,<BR>Kurtia was a senior and respected figure in the MFA
so his presence,<BR>combined with Omaguchi's very public death, his attendance
instead of the<BR>Foreign Minister would not be construed as a
slight.<BR><BR>Japan and China had such a complex relationship, often a tense
one. The<BR>Chinese had never really forgiven Japan as (most) of Europe had
forgiven<BR>Germany, and any number of little issues had always kept ties
between the<BR>two nations at a lukewarm level. But China was quickly equalling
Japan as<BR>the biggest economy in Asia and second largest in the world.
Ahkahita's more<BR>left-wing political stance was more accommodating towards
Beijing, more<BR>interested in trade and commerce than pissing matches over
human rights and<BR>free speech done at the behest of Washington.<BR><BR>Kurita
was a patient man, a hallmark of his career, and was inclined to let<BR>the
President make her rounds on her own time. They would speak when his<BR>turn
came.<BR><BR>The Japanese Foreign Minister had always been on the 'hot list'...
the short<BR>list of names that Xia 'had' to meet, if she did nothing else that
night.<BR>China had money and a willingness to invest... Japan had technology
and a<BR>willing to sell... it would be sad if a war settled before the births
of the<BR>leading generation prevented them from better representing the
interests of<BR>their own people. On that note, Xia smiled and offered her hand
in addition<BR>to a respectful, well rehearsed bow. "Minister, I'm honored you
could join<BR>us. I hope the evening's events meet with your
approval?"<BR><BR>After a brief chat, which unfortunately included nothing more
than exchanges of pleasantries and personal greetings, Aaryn was rushing her off
to the next person of importance.<BR><BR>It had been a long path from the scared
child who got on a flight out of<BR>Taipei when Chang Kai Shek was defeated, but
he was now in Beijing where he<BR>was ending his career with the State
Department as Ambassador to China,<BR>Representing his adopted homeland in the
country his father fought for,<BR>though not on the winning
side.<BR><BR>"Ambassador... I'm glad you have taken an opportunity to return to
your<BR>homeland." Xia smiled as she offered one of the millions of
the<BR>Sino-diaspora both her hands. She had been privied to the man's
dossier<BR>prior to the meeting. "Welcome to Beijing."<BR><BR>"Thank you Madame
President, it is good to be back." He took her hands.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>ACTIONS</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1. Standard Political Gala. </DIV></FONT><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="7545d5cbc68228e16e9e3c86a3af02b7"><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>