Lagarde's Weibo posts lure thousands

IMF chief signs up to Chinese micro-blogging platform

SHANGHAI - International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has opened an account on Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging platform, ahead of her visit to the country on Wednesday.

Lagarde's move comes as the domestic popularity of the Chinese version of Twitter has mushroomed in recent years, and is expected to help the newly elected IMF chief gain grassroots support in a country whose ample cash can help solve the ongoing European debt crisis.