Hunter Biden may still be a board member of Chinese firm he vowed to step down from, records show

Hunter Biden, son of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, promised to step down from the board of Chinese firm BHR Partners. However, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported that Hunter Biden is still listed as a director in Chinese business records, indicating that he may not have followed through on his promise.

What Hunter Biden said he would do: In a statement issued by his lawyer, Biden said he would step down in October from the firm to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest in the event his father was elected president.

"To date, Hunter has not received any compensation for being on BHR's board of directors," the statement read. "He has not received any return on his investment; there have been no distributions to BHR shareholders since Hunter obtained his equity interest. Moreover, Hunter played no role in directing or making BHR's investments. Hunter intends to resign from the BHR board of directors on or by October 31, 2019."

Hunter Biden also promised not to serve on any foreign boards if Joe Biden became president.

What the records show: China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System still shows Hunter Biden as a director for BHR. And it doesn't appear that his inclusion is due to lack of updates, because it reflects a March 24 change showing the resignation of Eric Schwerin, a business partner of Biden's, according to the DCNF.

Qixinbao, a service that provides registration info about Chinese companies, also shows Biden as a BHR board member.

Hunter Biden still holds a 10% share in BHR through his own company, Skaneateles.

Why this matters: Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, which date back to his father's time as vice president, have created the appearance of potential corruption in Ukraine with Burisma, and in China with BHR. Biden's promise to step down from BHR is an apparent acknowledgment of the bad optics. Hunter arranged for his father to meet with BHR's CEO in 2013 during a trip to China, just a few months after BHR was formed.

With Joe Biden the presumptive presidential nominee, questions about Hunter Biden's activities, as well as Joe Biden's knowledge and involvement, take on greater significance.