Love Canada, I do. The people are generally very nice, though there are exceptions. In general we treat everyone equally. The air is generally very clean and the streets similarly. We have lots of green space and the kids love playing in our parks. Crime is low and we generally do not have a violence or gun problem. Our political system is very stable. Our legal system is fair and impartial.
Chinese people from China also love these aspects of Canada, no doubt. In the case of Chinese businesses what compels them to move their money, legally or illegally, to Canada is that they leave unsavoury aspects of China behind: specifically the reliance on “Who you know”, or in Chinese “zou hou men 走后門” or “guanxi 关系”. These connections seem to be a breeding ground for corruption and retaliation by those in political power. The wife hates that aspect of China, and do you blame her?
You Ziqi complains of torture by China in this G&M article: Detained Canadian says China tortured her into giving bribery confession . I have no knowledge of this case so cannot comment on its validity. That said, there are eerie similarities to other such cases in China. The article claims that her business connection, Xie Weidong, is charged with bribery. Mr. Weidong’s relative are also charged. Who is right and who is wrong I leave to China’s courts.
The fact is that if you make money in China, there is the possibility that you will be linked to someone who will, in the future, be charged with corruption. Your assets as well as your family member’s assets could be seized by the Chinese government. Rightly or wrongly, this is a significant risk in China.
I can therefore see why Chinese businesses would move their money abroad, to Canada, the US, Australia, Uk or elsewhere. You would do the same. While moving assets out of China does not mitigate the risk to you and your family members, at least your money is safe. You might never see it again, as China could lock you up for good and torment your relatives.
Should Canada be a safe haven for Chinese profits? Really, are these people guilty of corruption? Are these people criminals, or simply political fodder, collateral damage in a fight for politics? How can we judge from so far away? Do we trust the Communist Party, the one that instigates the investigation?
Collective punishment is not new to China or the world. Collective punishment means that not only the perpetrator but his family, friends and others around him are also punished for his transgression. It sounds as barbaric as it is.
2nd century BC
During the Qin Dynasty of China (221BC – 207BC), emperor Qin Shi Huang upheld his rule by enforcing strict laws, with the most serious of crimes, such as treason, punishable by what is known as nine familial exterminations – this involved the execution of the perpetrator’s entire families as well as the perpetrators themselves, where the members are categorized into nine groups. The process of familial extermination was carried on by subsequent Chinese dynasties for serious crimes, with a significant number of recorded sentences during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), until the punishment was officially repealed by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) in 1905.
wikipedia
Not only does China still use the threat of collective punishment against the perpetrator, they also go abroad and hunt down the perpetrator. This Chinese initiative, called Operation Foxhunt, has Chinese government agents traveling abroad as tourists in an effort to hunt down suspected wanted individuals back in China, and to convince/coerce/threated them to do the “right thing” and return to China to face the consequences. There have been documented cases of Operation Foxhunt here in Canada. That is pretty scary.
But back to the topic at hand. With this information, it is clear why Chinese businessmen would want to have their families and their money in a safe haven such as Canada. If your business is large enough to attract attention, sooner or later one of your business contacts could hit China’s bad books, and you would, in turn become the hunted.
Should Canada have sympathy for those fleeing China? Yes, if they are political criminals, but no if they really are guilty of bribery. Who is to judge? This is hard to say.
