Sarah Palin Asia Trip Planned For September

HONG KONG — Former U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, once questioned about her lack of foreign policy experience, will make her first trip to Asia in September.

The former Alaska governor will visit Hong Kong to address the CLSA Investors Forum, a well-known annual conference of global investment managers, the host announced Monday.

Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Alan Greenspan have spoken at the event, hosted by brokerage and investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

"Our keynote speakers are notable luminaries who often address topics that go beyond traditional finance such as geopolitics," company spokeswoman Simone Wheeler said in a statement.

"We just felt it would be a fabulous opportunity for CLSA clients to hear from Mrs. Palin," Wheeler said, adding that CLSA approached Palin with the offer.

She said the conference aimed to present investors "a diversity of views that potentially influence decision-makers who help shape the markets."

The Sept. 23 address will mark Palin's first commercial speaking engagement, according to CLSA. Her speaking fees were not disclosed.

It will be closed to the media, and the topic has not yet been confirmed.

Palin was criticized during last year's presidential election for her lack of experience in international affairs. She received her first passport in 2007 to visit Alaska National Guard members serving in Kuwait and Germany.

Comments

[Charles Mcgee]

06:29 PM on 09/15/2009

It is great that Sister Sarah Palin has not been contaminat­ed by foreign intrigue. That makes her like
many Americans. Can you believe that she will not be loved by us 'small town Americns who cling to thier guns and bibles... I suspect that she will be well loved by many. Being a small town colored man
I will wait for the reaction.

[Carsy]

06:14 PM on 09/02/2009

It is difficult economic times, they need to bring a person that would get people talking about their group. Even if it is a joke.

[sorrowen]

11:33 AM on 09/02/2009

Just maybe you'll stop hating on people but i don't see that happening anytime soon. Cowerds

[me again]

08:31 AM on 09/02/2009

Just maybe they will withdraw her passport while she's out of the Country...­..

[sorrowen]

11:31 AM on 09/02/2009

grow up! yesh your insults are awful in the bad way as in they are so bad they are awful grow up. A @#$%

[szarmadzag]

05:07 AM on 09/04/2009

You tell 'em Sarah!

[maverick-ak]

02:53 AM on 09/02/2009

Every year the CLSA Investors Forum serves the traditiona­l dim sum dinner, but this year in honor of their special guest Sarah Palin, they have prepared a special dim sum dish which they affectiona­tely named DIM WIT CHICK!

[sdilmoak]

12:11 AM on 09/02/2009

PS...Colon­y High Scholl is NOT in Wasilla...­it is in Palmer , a town 10 miles away.

[Heather Lee]

03:43 AM on 09/02/2009

Actually Colony High School is in between Palmer and Wasilla.

[sdilmoak]

12:11 AM on 09/02/2009

Well, her father says she has been away for a month. Willow Palin is now enrolled in Colony High School and rumor there is that Todd has moved out of the house and is living with Willow. Piper is with the Grandparen­ts and Bristol was seen at the Alaska State Fair with both Trig and Tripp. Nothing like a functional family, eh?

The Hong Kong thing.....­spectator sport! Bring on the popcorn...­this should be funny.

[Carsy]

06:49 AM on 09/02/2009

Dad is a bit of a big mouth isn't he? Yea, it does sound like the family is sort of all over the place. I think it is good for her kids though to be with their grandparen­ts and not hauled all over the place.

[KayJay90]

06:33 PM on 09/01/2009

Some people seem to think that this is a Palin punk'd, in the same vein as the fake Nicholas Sarkozy telephone call to Palin placed by the Montreal DJs last November just before the election.

According to Vincent Fernando at the Business Insider ( http://www­.businessi­nsider.com­/sara-pali­n-just-ano­ther-clsa-­practical-­joke-2009-­9 ) some witty person at the Hong Kong-based investment group may have recalled that fake Sarkozy phone call gag on Palin, and wondered if she'd acquired enough sophistica­tion to realize that an invitation to speak before a group of investment brokers was not in her area of expertise.

If left to her own devices, however, she might develop a topic like "Follow My Tips for Conning the Rubes and Developing New and Different Grifting Schemes". That would be enlighteni­ng, and entertaini­ng as well.

[Carsy]

06:17 PM on 09/01/2009

Is this event closed to the media every year? No press and the topic will not be made public. Why the secrecy?

[JakeW]

05:25 PM on 09/01/2009

In related "news":

(Reuters) In a somewhat surprising selection, Paris Hilton has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for her work on G-string theory. During her bare midriff acceptance speech, the Academy made the unpreceden­ted move of instantane­ously conferring upon Paris the Prize in Chemistry as well, after Ms. Hilton commented, in response to a question about the nature of an exothermic reaction: "that's hot!"

[Freesia2]

05:19 PM on 09/01/2009

Folks I was just reading Shannyn Moore's blog and she has an article up from the Business Insider who seem to think that Sarah is being "punked". The CLSA apparently have a long history of bringing in jokes in a straight parody for their attendees. Fortune tellers and cartoonist­s and such in a lampoon of the event. I'm not explaining it well, but it is entirely possible that Sarah is being invited to keynote precisely because she is a ridiculous choice. If it's true - they are poking fun at the idea of her being a "luminary"­.

And oh I hope she doesn't know. Til she gets there. And is stuck there. Because I'm a meanie. :-)

[maverick-ak]

06:00 PM on 09/01/2009

Freesia2, don't tell anybody, it is between u and me. Okay? ; )

[Freesia2]

06:15 PM on 09/01/2009

Mums the word maverick-a­k. I am as silent as the grave. ;-)

[2008CaliforniaFan]

06:12 PM on 09/01/2009

It's also true that Shannyn posted it here on Huffpo.... on another thread.

Mudflats has the story up as well.

http://www­.themudfla­ts.net/200­9/09/01/pa­lins-been-­punked/?#comment-­127766

[Hammerofthor]

01:55 PM on 09/01/2009

Palin power ascendant. Sarah storms Asia. Her influence is global.

[mharg11]

02:03 PM on 09/01/2009

Are you saying that stupidity will now go global?

[KillgoreTrout43]

04:06 PM on 09/01/2009

LOL! Now that's funny.

[StillAmused]

08:44 AM on 09/01/2009

Also closed to the media will be Palin's subsequent speech, to be delivered to Asian educators, on the importance of scholastic excellence in culture and its impact on the quality of elected representa­tives.

The translator has been given extremely wide latitude and creative control.

[NuAgeDok]

07:20 AM on 09/01/2009

UH ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME . . .

[StillAmused]

08:34 AM on 09/01/2009

Snap!

One of the best, EVER!

[mcmutter]

07:16 AM on 09/01/2009

who is paying for it .... I thought the beauty queen had bigtime money troubles..­.