HONG KONG: A British newspaper has tracked down US Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s little-known half-brother to Shenzhen in China, and disclosed information about him that could prove a political liability for the Democratic candidate in the close race for the presidency.
The Sunday Times has reported that Obama’s half-brother, identified as Mark Ndesandjo—he is the son of Obama’s late father and his third wife Ruth Ndesandjo—has lived in Shenzhen since 2002, and has a long-term Chinese girlfriend. But most of Ndesandjo’s acquaintances in Shenzhen are unaware of his ties to Obama, partly because Mark has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid attention, the report adds.
Obama is believed to have a somewhat strained relationship with Ndesandjo, whom he refers to as his ‘brother’; he records details of this in his 1995 memoirs Dreams from My Father. Nevertheless, some aspects of Ndesandjo’s business associations in China—as disclosed by the newspaper—could prove politically embarrassing for Obama.
For instance, Ndesandjo is linked to an Internet-based firm, Worldnexus Ltd, which provides corporate communications and web design services to Chinese firms seeking customers in English-speaking markets, principally the US. Among its clients are Shenzhen-based exporters of electronics and machine parts. In other words, in his own small way, Mark helps promote cheap Chinese exports to the US.
That issue is certain to be exploited by Republicans playing on American concerns that cheap Chinese imports are to blame for the loss of US business competitiveness and job losses.
In his campaign speeches, Obama too has pledged to axe tax incentives that “reward” US businesses for relocating their manufacturing facilities overseas to places like China in order to benefit from lower wages.
The Sunday Times report further cites Chinese officials saying that Worldnexus is not registered to conduct business in Shenzhen, which raises issues of taxation and compliance with law. However, it noted that Ndesandjo had told a Chinese businessman that Worldnexus was not trading at the moment, and that he hoped to “restart the business next year”.
Ndesandjo is described by a friend as being “big, strong and full of energy” and “a really easygoing guy” who “always wears a hat over his shaven head”.
Precisely how the unmasking of his little-known ‘half-brother’ in China will affect his political fortunes isn’t clear, but already right-wing blogs and websites are playing up the story.
