Chinese Red Cross requests government audit

The Red Cross Society of China has invited government auditors to look into irregularities at the Red Cross China Business System, a subsidiary operating in partnership with the China General Chamber of Commerce that has been implicated in some problematic business deals, the South China Morning Post reported, citing state media. The Red Cross Society has come under heavy scrutiny recently after a woman calling herself Guo Meimei, who claimed to be the general manager of the “Red Cross Chamber of Commerce,” posted pictures of herself online with designer handbags and luxury cars. The Red Cross denied hiring Guo or having such a subsidiary, but subsequent investigations by private citizens identified a series of questionable business deals between Red Cross China Business System and private firms including Zhonghong Boai Asset Management and Beijing-based consultancy Wang Ding. Zhongtong Boai Asset Management marketed space on Red Cross ambulances to advertisers, and Wang Ding appears to have been involved in nearly all of Red Cross Business System’s projects. The Red Cross Society admitted the existence of the deals yesterday but said the public would have to wait until the audit report was released to discover if there were, in fact, any irregularities.