Yang Hengjun has been given a death sentence

for daring to criticise a totalitarian regime.

By publishing that statement I have almost certainly put myself in danger - should I ever go to China. I am not likely to go to China. I have no desire to go to China.

Visiting China is something I did once think I would like to do. There are still many things in China I would like to see. I am also certain that the vast majority of Chinese people are simply pleasant, ordinary people.  They no doubt go about their daily business just as we do. The difference between us is that they are not free to express their opinions in the way I can here. That is how the "leaders" control the country.

Dr Yang, a citizen of this country, but with close ties to China dared to question that. He was arrested for "espionage" while in China and, five years and a close door "trial" later, he has been sentenced to death. It "might", if he commits no crimes for two years, be commuted to a life sentence. He is a sick man. It is not likely he will survive to live through that misery to die of old age. 

By doing this China is sending a message to our government. They are saying, "No criticism will be tolerated". They are saying, "If you want to do business with us then do not attempt to put pressure on us to release him."

The Chinese market is of course enormous. We do massive business with China. It is however lopsided. They have the upper hand. They can and do set the way any business is run. If we criticise China then they retaliate. It does not matter that the criticism might be valid or that the goods are produced under conditions no better than slavery. We are not permitted to be concerned when they demand we hand over large farming areas in this country. It is simply a demand that must be met because that is the cost of doing business with them.

It is laziness which got us into this mess. Laziness and a mistaken belief that China is a "good friend". It is not a good friend or even a friend. It is not even a true trading partner working for the benefit of both countries. It is there for what it can get from the relationship and we are expected to kowtow to every demand it makes. They do not do business by our rules even in this country.

Someone I know spent years working with the Chinese to build up a business there. It is one which employs a lot of people. They needed to expand. He went through all the many hoops. He paid for all that needed to be paid for in the way it should have been paid but, when the new factory was finished, he was told that he had done something wrong.   The factory has been confiscated by local officials and he has been warned that, should he even try to visit China again, he will be arrested.  This is Chinese "business" at work. It is a story others can tell as well. Eventually it is likely that there will be some sort of "agreement" but it will not be worth his while.

This is corruption pure and simple. It is done quite openly, indeed encouraged. The only risk to the officials is if they fall foul of someone senior to themselves. Dr Yang has no hope of being able to freely expose this sort of thing. Even the highest authorities will do nothing. 

My goddaughter is Chinese but she was not born there and she lives in Singapore. Like her parents she has no desire to live or work in China. All of them have been there but they have gone as tourists - and they have no wish to go back.  "There are lots of other interesting places Aunty Cat", she once told me, "I think everyone should do business with them instead." 

Perhaps we should. We need to stop paying "rent" to the Chinese.