How come you NEVER hear stories of westeners being charged in China?

[Vesayen]

Perhaps I am mearly not thinking of them....

Maybe I have somehow not noticed them.

Do you EVER read news stories about Americans or Europeans being arrested in China?

It is not like they are rare or happen on occasion. Never. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

I read more stories about Americans getting into trouble in any individual European country every year then I have in China in 5.

So..... thoughts on this? Does the Chinese govmt take special effort to not arrest European and Americans to seem friendly for big buisness? Other theories?

[SlowwHand]

More Americans go to Europe than go to China.

[Vesayen]

Yes, but Americans and Europeans do go to China.

I cannot recall a single news story in 5 years about ANY European or American being detained in China, besides a certain famous airplane crew, but I am talking about normal folks.

How come there are NO media stories about us being arrested there?

I can recall stories about every country neighboring china detaining Americans or Europeans.... but not one for China.

[SlowwHand]

http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7407

China is the world's biggest prison for journalists (33 detained), cyber-dissidents (49 detained) and free speech activists...

[Vesayen]

That is true. Most of them are also Chinese.

That is also not a major, or even mid rank western media outlet. It is a specialty website.

[BlackCat]

The truth are supressed by the american press - if the people knew about the real facts they might stop buying chinese products.

[BlackCat]

google on '"american citizen" arrest china' gives some 92.000 hits. Some of them must be about real arrests.

[Pekka]

Well blame the news stations. There were few Finns arrested just few weeks ago. They weren't in serious trouble though. But foreigners get arrested there jus tlike anywhere else.

If you ask me, I think most foreigners are more careful there, thinking they'll go into dungeons to be tortured for saying Mao sucks, so they might tend to act better or at least try to act better.

[Wezil]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/08/08/protest-china.html?ref=rss

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/205284

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/01/12/China_fossils060112.html

[Datajack Franit]

German barbarians German investors

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by BlackCat
google on '"american citizen" arrest china' gives some 92.000 hits. Some of them must be about real arrests.

That's sloppy searching. "American citizen arrested in China" yields only 2 results and they are for some guy named Li, obviously a Chinese-American.

Vesayen is right, stories of Westerners arrested in China are rare. I've also noticed it. Probably two factors are at play: 1) self selection - the country is far away so those who do get there are of the wealthy and law obiding type and 2) the Chinese autorities choose to be lenient with Westerners to preserve the image of a pleasant tourist destination.

[VetLegion]

Also, there's the Olympics in 2008 - cracking down on Westerners for minor offences (say public drunkeness and the like) would have a negative effect on the image of the country -> decrease number of visitors -> less money made by China.

[Vesayen]

That was my thoughts Vet, except I would swap "tourist friend" with 'buisness frienly' , but I wonder which is the bigger influence.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by VetLegion


That's sloppy searching. "American citizen arrested in China" yields only 2 results and they are for some guy named Li, obviously a Chinese-American.

Vetty, I think I know a bit more about searching than you do - I've worked with that for more than twenty years

It's your search that are sloppy because you search for a very specific term that you can't expect to appear in all relevant hits.

[VetLegion]

BlackCat arrest China

Gives us 8000+ results. What does that mean? That at least some BlackCats were arrested in China? Don't be silly.