Reports claiming mainland students could find themselves working alongside the US president turned out to be little more than a free advertisement for a 200,000-yuan (HK$236,607), four-week tour that may or may not involve a visit to the White House.
The Chongqing Morning Post reported that mainland students would have a chance to apply for summer internships at the White House for the first time in history under a 'leadership programme' run by a company called the US Harvest Centre.
People.com.cn, the official website of People's Daily, was among those that picked up the story, with some reports going on to claim students would be working alongside the US president for a month.
Barry Lu, an adviser at US Harvest Centre, which is believed to be based in California, blamed local media reporting for the misunderstanding.
He declined to divulge the total fee for the four-week internship, but said it would be very expensive, 'definitely no more than 200,000 yuan'.
'According to the schedule, the students will stay in Washington DC for only two weeks for some training and a course about government, management and policymaking, and they will have a chance to meet some political leaders and business elite.'