There’s an odd trend brewing there, where companies hire fake executives from the U.S. and other Western nations to attend events, give speeches and generally just to give that appearance in the community and in the business world of that connection with the western world.
“You’d be amazed how often this happens,” said Mitch Moxley, a freelance writer living in Beijing who was paid $1,000 a week to be a fake businessman for a high-tech company building a factory in Dongying, five hours south of Beijing. “Face is hugely important in China, and having foreigners in suits I guess gives some credibility to the companies. You’d be amazed how often this happens.”