Hong Kong

HONG KONG: Earlier President Bill Clinton kicked off his first generous conference overseas in Hong Kong on Tuesday after his wife, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, was named secretary of state by President-elect Barack Obama.

The two-day Clinton worldwide plan in Hong Kong marks the first time the former U.S. leader has held his yearly generous conference overseas, but it also will be the previous while his wife holds her new job.

Bill Clinton’s worldwide business connections posed possible conflicts of interest for his wife’s post, and as part of the deal for her meeting, he agreed to stop holding the meetings overseas and to decline donations from overseas governments.

He also agreed to reveal every contributor to his foundation since its beginning in 1997, step away from the everyday running of the foundation, and allow Obama’s management to appraisal his verbal communication agenda and new sources of income.