Bush Senior lobbies for bank deal

Former United States President George Bush has lobbied Beijing to give the nod to a Citigroup-led bid for Guangdong Development Bank, state media reported. A Citigroup-led consortium has offered US$3 billion for an 85% stake in the Chinese bank. �On my personal behalf, I vigorously ask the Chinese government to support the US companies� efforts to buy into Guangdong Development Bank,� Bush Senior wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Carlyle Group, a venture capital firm with strong political ties in Washington, also has a part to play in the deal. Bush’s letter was passed on to the China Banking Regulatory Commission after being received at the end of January.