LAI CHANGXING HAS been a fugitive from China since the late 1990s for his involvement in massive smuggling and corruption. In trying to wrap up the case the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has carried out arrests, executions and, latterly, a great deal of diplomatic arm-twisting. A recent court decision has ruled that Lai faces extradition from Canada to China this month.
There is much speculation that the Canadian immigration justice involved in the case may not be acting with sufficient independence from his boss, the immigration minister. All this unfolded just as Canada’s foreign minister, John Baird, went for a visit to China. It all looks slightly suspicious.
In any case, if he is taken back, his fate won’t be pretty. That’s the opinion of China expert and author of a book on Lai, Sheng Xue. Sheng Xue is an author, commentator, and journalist; her book on Lai Changxing, “Unveiling the Yuan Hua Case,” became a bestseller in the Chinese diaspora. It was banned by Chinese propaganda authorities.
Sheng says that officials at high-levels in the regime (such as former premier Zhu Rongji) have been trying to get Lai back to China since 2001, when he applied for asylum in Canada. And Zhu promised that there would be no executions.
“However, while Premier Zhu promised such, eight people involved in the case were already sentenced to death. Lai is the main suspect of the case,” Sheng said.
“Wouldn’t it be unfair to those accomplices if the main suspect did not receive the death penalty? On the other hand, if Lai was indeed sentenced to death, then the Chinese government’s promise will be viewed as a lie,” she said.
“China’s judicial system is far from independent. At the end of the day, because of manipulation by Party officials, nobody has a say in it. There is no respect for the judicial system.”
The Yuanhua smuggling scandal, which cost the state 53 billion yuan (US$8.2 billion) or more, implicated about 500 officials, of whom 21 were sentenced to death, eight of which are already executed. Several have committed suicide. Others, including Lai’s older brother, died mysteriously in prison.
All this indicates that the Yuanhua scandal is a political case, Sheng said.
“Who does the Chinese court kowtow to? Please ask yourself this question, is the court director a CCP member? It is the CCP who is controlling the court. This is an undisputable fact. So the promise is worth nothing.”
But that doesn’t mean they will decapitate the man. “If Lai is extradited,” Sheng said, “The Chinese regime will use him as a model. The regime will keep him alive for a period of time. This is a window-dressing project, in which the CCP wants the world to see that they are keeping their promise. They even will allow the Canadian authorities to visit Lai.
“However, under the pretense of keeping Lai alive, the CCP can torture him physically and mentally until he breaks down completely. The CCP is very cunning at such things.
“Persecution does not only refer to killing, but also include torturing. According to Canadian law, it is not allowed to send a person to a place where he or she might be subject to life-threatening torture.
“The CCP is best at destroying a person’s spirit and implementing thought and soul control.”
“Lai’s case involves too many high ranking CCP officials. Some want him dead; some want him alive; some want to take advantage of him. Lai has become very important to them. If he was extradited, he would not have any say about his own fate.”
Sheng added that the Canadian judiciary lacks an understanding of the politicized nature of criminal justice in China, and that’s partly behind their decision too.
The interview was conducted by Teng Dongyu, a member of the Chinese Epoch Times Staff.
