Mr. Gao said that CIC is still heavily invested in the U.S. "I'm not diminishing it, but I'm not hanging everything in one tree, " he said.

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If you say you were going to meet under that big tree at 2 p.m.

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Phil typically gets rousted out of the Gobbler's Knob tree stump about 7:15 a.m. by an entourage wearing top hats and tuxedos.

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The tree, which is usually 20 to 25 m (70 ft) in height and anything between 50 and 60 years old, is then shipped free-of-charge across the North Sea to Immingham by DFDS Tor Line.

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"Sadly the chain has been broken now for the Cherry Tree, there are only nine left and I'm devastated, " he said.

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Obama will join the President at the National Park Service at the National Park Foundation's Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony held on the Ellipse at 5:00 p.m. eastern.

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