No one has connections like Li Ka-shing. In his hometown of Chaozhou in southern China, he is a hero for building a university. He is said to have shared breakfast congee with Jiang Zemin. And Li's partner in developing Beijing's glitziest commercial complex was Tung Chee-hwa, long Li's friend before he became chief executive of Hong Kong. Tapping such ties to facilitate business, though it can be controversial, is usually a far cry from either cronyism or corruption.
Businessmen worldwide do it all the time.
From Henry Kissinger to Richard Branson, the greatest businessmen know how to build relationships with people that will buttress their commercial empires. In Asia, Li sets the pace. Li's ties in Beijing date back to the early 1980s. When Deng Xiaoping wanted local advice on how to handle Hong Kong's future, he summoned Li and pro-Beijing magnate Henry Fok. In 1994, the deal hit a roadblock when McDonald's refused to move from a site earmarked for the vast compound.