Beijing: Interpol has issued a red notice to arrest a flamboyant Chinese billionaire who has been taunting the Chinese Communist Party online and hurling accusations of corruption while living a luxurious life in exile in the United States.
Guo Wengui, aka Miles Kwok, is a Forbes rich-lister who shot to international prominence last month when it was revealed the 50-year-old was a member of US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The crucial first leaders' meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place smoothly at Mar-a-Lago. But in the preceding days, speculation was rife that an appearance at Mar-a-Lago by Mr Kwok would deeply embarrass China. US media dubbed him the Florida "wild card".
Mr Kwok's Twitter account shows a beaming 50-year-old performing gym workouts in the world's luxury hotels, posing with sports cars, jets and drinking in exclusive bars. It also shows him in the Mar-a-Lago grounds with the executive vice-president for Trump Florida Properties, Bernd Lembcke.
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He was due to give another explosive interview to Voice of America's Chinese-language service on Wednesday evening, Beijing time.
On Wednesday afternoon, the South China Morning Post reported that Interpol had issued a red notice in the name of Guo Wengui to "locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition". The Chinese ministry later confirmed Interpol had issued the red notice.
He is wanted for allegedly bribing former Chinese state security vice-minister Ma Jian with 60 million yuan ($11.5 million). Ma is under investigation for corruption.
Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on April 6. Photo: AP
The red notice had been granted at the request of China. The president of Interpol is China's former vice public security minister, Meng Hongwei.
The United States does not have an extradition treaty with China. Neither does Britain, another place Mr Kwok appears to frequent, according to his Twitter feed. An Interpol red notice can also impact on travel, visas and banking.
Mr Kwok has said previously that he left China two years ago after his assets of $US17 billion were frozen when he became embroiled in a dispute with family members of a retired top Communist Party official, He Guoqiang.
Mr Kwok made accusations against Mr He's son in two video interviews with a US-based Chinese media outlet this year.
Guo Wengui, who is also known as Miles Kwok, is a member of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. Photo: New York Times
He also outlined how he toppled Beijing's former deputy mayor by providing a sex tape to police.
A property deal turned sour involved Mr Kwok's prominent Beijing hotel, Pangu Plaza, which is shaped like a dragon and overlooks the capital's famous Bird's Nest Olympic stadium.
He has also hurled online insults at prominent Chinese businesswoman Hu Shuli, founder of Caixin Media, who is now suing him.
Responding to news of the Interpol notice, he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday evening: "This will only make Wengui fight even more resolutely to the end with these bad people. This is all just the beginning!"
Mr Kwok has claimed that the red notice was issued to put pressure on Voice of America not to broadcast the interview.
The interview went ahead, although Mr Kwok complained it was cut short after one hour.
VOA has said it will broadcast more of the material it recorded after fact-checking Mr Kwok's claims and editing the material.
The New York Times has reported the Chinese government pressured VOA not to conduct the interview.
