A unique account of an American behind bars in China has surfaced today, courtesy of iLookChina. more ›

For 12 years the deportation case of Lai Changxing has been languishing in Canadian courts. Though it was known that he scammed the Chinese government out of millions of dollars worth of tax money, his lawyer made the case that, should he be deported, the Chinese justice system would not give him a fair trial. Being returned to China would mean torture and possibly execution, argued Lai's lawyer. “But Justice Shore ruled that ‘Mr. Lai has failed to establish that he will suffer irreparable harm if he were returned to China.’ The judge said the fact that Mr. Lai had been in negotiations with Chinese officials to return belied his assertions of risk if he returns. Chinese officials have assured Canada that Mr. Lai would not be executed or tortured and would get a fair trial with access to a lawyer if he is returned to face charges.” Source: NYTimes.
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We knew that drunk driving was becoming an ever more serious offense here in Shanghai (perhaps to curb the national statistic that 2x of us drive drunk compared to the rest of China), but did you know that being caught could get you deported if you're a foreigner? more ›

The rippling consequences of last July's unrest in Xinjiang continues. Along with rampant arrests, and quite a few executions of those held responsible, it's an understatement to say that this year was hard on Xinjiang. Exasperated by last summer's syringe attacks, the crackdown on Uighurs "terrorists" goes on. more ›

Trouble with visa renewal is one thing, but forced deportation is quite another. Foreigners whining about the former should take a look at the recent case of Dechen Pemba, a Brit of Tibetan descent who was detained, driven to the airport, and expelled from the PRC for five years when she walked out of her Beijing apartment last Tuesday. The seven plain clothes policemen who escorted Pemba allowed her only time to pack a bag, refusing to let her call her family or the British embassy until she was sitting on an Air China plane. more ›