Does " to clear in advance a presentation" mean " to clarify in advance a presentation"?

I guess not. Because it does go smoothly.
What does it mean?

Context:

In his speech to the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank on
May 4, Zhao also made an effort to reassure foreign investors that China!ˉs
social and economic systems were not disintegrating into turmoil and that
the student demonstrations would soon be brought under control. Unlike
Zhao!ˉs May 3 speech, which had been sent to other leaders for comments
before delivery, this speech was not vetted by other of i cials, since Zhao was
not required to clear in advance a presentation to an economic institution
like the Asian Development Bank. Even so, Zhao faced criticism later for
not sending the speech to se nior party leaders for review before he delivered
This carefully worded speech, written by Bao Tong, was also broadcast
it.to the students. In it Zhao acknowledged that there were prob lems with corruption in the party, prob lems that he at trib uted to imperfections in the
socialist legal system and to a lack of openness and democratic supervision.
The students were calmed by
He reiterated that the students were pa tri otic.
Zhao's speech; afterward the numbers demonstrating in the square fell off
sharply.

-Ezra Vogel