Quote:That effort has unraveled. Mr. Ye is in Chinese custody and is under investigation for unspecified crimes. The trial and conviction in New York last week of one of his top lieutenants, Patrick Ho, showed that company officials used bribery to win oil and energy contracts in Africa.

Quote:Last year, as American authorities closed in on Mr. Ye’s company, the first call made by one of his emissaries in custody was to Mr. Biden’s brother.

Quote:Mr. Ye also further loosened CEFC’s purse strings, donating as much as $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation.

Quote:An aide to Mr. Ye met the vice president’s second son, Hunter Biden, in Washington. Mr. Ye then met privately with Hunter Biden at a hotel in Miami in May 2017, according to people with direct knowledge of the meetings who were not authorized to speak publicly because the meetings were private. Mr. Ye proposed a partnership to invest in American infrastructure and energy deals, the people said.

Quote:In a brief interview, James Biden said he had been surprised by Mr. Ho’s call. He said he believed it had been meant for Hunter Biden, the former vice president’s son. James Biden said he had passed on his nephew’s contact information.

“There is nothing else I have to say,” James Biden said. “I don’t want to be dragged into this anymore.”