A remnant crown of close-cropped dark hair skirted a large forehead. His brown eyes appeared intuitive and kind and were magnified by his characteristic large, light-framed glasses. Despite angled and uneven teeth, he could manufacture a perfectly disarming smile that captured the essence of ‘peace and goodwill to all men’. The façade of a consummate politician. He was a canny businessman who had made his fortune as the owner of the dominant tuna fishing operation in the Sedois Islands. Lee still controlled the company but more at arm’s length than previously. He also had a large construction company on La Premiere with a smaller La Bajan subsidiary. Lee had cultivated powerful friends both locally and abroad, and this scheme would, finally, allow him to achieve his lofty political aspirations. He felt ready to take control. And his time was now.
Soval was his long-time friend and legal advisor, and Lee felt comfortable with the advice that although their plan was not legitimate, it would be almost impossible to challenge any alleged manipulation of the election result. It was critical not to have a paper trail and, thus, face-to-face meetings were preferred. Either way, they reckoned, by the time anyone questioned the process Lee would already be president.
Lee was cautious that nothing should interfere with their careful planning. He knew how to keep secrets, the dark kind, that most would avoid. He was aware that secrets could create and hold immense power but could also be fatally destructive. He had learnt from bitter experience.
Born as Guang Li in Beijing in the austere winter of 1954, he had adopted the moniker ‘Lee’ when he arrived in the Sedois Islands. The second son of a noted artist and scholar, his fabled family dynasty could be traced back to the Song and Mongol empires. Lee’s forebears had been advisors to Kublai Khan, and his family were part of the wealthy elite. His father had connections in government and was respected as a calm intellectual and wise strategist. Unfortunately, times were changing in China, and being an intellectual was a definite liability. Lee’s family faced tough times during the Cultural Revolution; their finances and fortunes suffered, but they managed to survive largely due to his family’s longstanding connections.
During this difficult period, Lee was encouraged by his father to work hard and continue his education. This consisted mostly of reading forbidden tomes in clandestine libraries. Ultimately, as restrictions lessened, he was successful in gaining admission to a tertiary institution. In the mid-1970s Lee attended the University of Peking studying political science and, given the recent state upheavals, the irony was not lost on him. He wanted to be better prepared for whatever lay ahead. Lee’s personal history had made him wary of openness, and he made few friends at university. His only trusted friend was Lei Pingsheng, a pharmaceutical science student a few years his senior. They developed a strong connection and, ultimately, a solid friendship based on shared adversity, sharp mental acumen, and optimistic outlooks. Most people of this era in China had experienced prolonged hardships but few had been able to endure with mind and spirit wholly intact. Spending their spare time together discussing future desires and opportunities, they became inseparable. For Lee, all his plans would soon change when he recognised an opportunity too good to ignore.
Lei Pingsheng had suffered tougher times than most during the Cultural Revolution. He was sent to a remote and poor village in Shaanxi province for re-education through hard labour. There, he endured four punishing years of privation and desperate survival. During this time, he had shared a basic cave dormitory with another young man, Xi Jinping, whose star was now on the rise. After the Cultural Revolution, Xi Jinping enrolled in a chemical engineering degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing. On a grey Saturday in a quaint teahouse looking onto Zhengjue temple in central Beijing, Lei Pingsheng introduced his friends Lee and Xi.
Lee gravitated towards Xi and his confident ideological beliefs. This fascination gradually evolved into idolatry of Xi, and a steadfast belief in the teachings of Chairman Mao. Together they postulated that communism was unequivocally the way forward, but for communism to work optimally it required a single, strong, and competent leader to govern for the masses. This, of course, was not classical communism and was kept as a closely guarded secret. It was during this formative time in Beijing that fate intervened in Lee’s plans. He had thought that he would eventually enter Chinese politics with Xi but, through one of Xi’s father’s friends, Lee was offered the opportunity to own and run a tuna fishing business in the Sedois Islands.
The practicalities were that Xi’s father’s friend, Wei Yang, owned the business but had declining health and wished to spend more time in mainland China. Wei had no sons to take over the business and his only daughter, Ai-qun, was now in her mid-twenties and unmarried. Wei suggested that Lee could take over control and, ultimately, ownership of the business after he had married Ai-qun.
Lee didn’t know anything about boats or fishing but recognised this fortuitous opportunity to prosper. He knew he would excel in business, could get rich, and then return to China as a success story. Lee had become affluent but had ultimately decided not to return to Beijing. He continued to plan and build his wealth and influence in the Sedois Islands. Throughout these intervening years, Lee had maintained regular contact with Xi Jinping, as he himself steadily grew his own factional clique within the Chinese Communist Party. They both harboured aspirations of becoming supreme communist leaders and, clearly, Xi was a valuable friend and ally to have in your corner.
When Lee arrived on La Premiere for his wedding to Ai-qun Yang, he had required urgent legal assistance. Lee was obliged to fulfil basic immigration and residency procedures but he desired Sedois Island citizenship as well as legal transfer of the tuna fishing business into his name. Soval Pape had been recommended as an outstanding legal advisor. Their friendship developed from this serendipity. And continued to this day.
“We have the finances in place, we know the numbers we need to win, it’s just a matter of executing the details,” Lee summarily stated with his usual certainty.
Soval swallowed a mouthful of beer before responding, “There are still a few loose ends, but we have time to sort these out.”
“It’s coming fast, gweilo.” Using the colloquial Chinese term for foreigners amused Lee, especially as it generally referred to Europeans, and Soval was Indian. It roughly translated as ‘white devil’. He often used this term for his friend. Soval was either unaware or unconcerned. “The election is March 13th. That’s only six weeks away.”
“It’s more than enough time. Don’t worry so much.” Soval finished his bottle and gestured to Felix for another round.
“We better be right. There’s more than just our futures riding on this,” Lee stated ominously, himself aware that they would only get one chance to make this work. It was a calculated risk and was high stakes. His friends in China were watching anxiously to ensure that their significant financial investment would bear fruit.
‘One belt and one road’ was Xi Jinping’s multi-faceted new initiative for international trading routes, and he couldn’t afford for it to have early setbacks. The Sedois Islands, located equidistant from Africa and India, were a perfect Indian Ocean base for both trading and military uses. Lee, as president, would have his company construct extensive deep-water ports – financed by Xi – potentially providing Chinese military vessels with safe harbour. Lee would also continue his existing monopoly on tuna fishing whilst having guaranteed market access to China. It was a win–win for Lee and Xi. More so, Lee would be mirroring Xi. He would achieve his long-held ambition of becoming president, the sole leader, allowing him to govern as he wished. He would create a communist Sedois Island state based on Mao’s teachings. Lee truly wanted to help the general population to a better life, as long as it was done his way. His furtive link with China’s supreme leader was not unknown in international circles. Several spy agencies had Lee on their radar, including the Israelis, and Danny Zur.
Felix swapped out the empty beer bottles. Soval and Lee thanked him, but they waited until he retired behind the bar before resuming their conversation. Soval cleared his throat. “We have the workers’ permanent residency visas in place, so they are eligible to vote.”
“Good. That’s thirty guaranteed votes.” Lee knew his construction workers would vote for him. He would make sure of it. “The Chinese on La Premiere will vote my way, and I’ve been lobbying the other étranger