From The Washington Post: (More on this topic, via Google News.)
Asked specifically whether the information Yahoo provided was crucial to the case or merely incidental, Yang said he did not know. Shortly after the questioning, Yahoo canceled a news conference that had been scheduled, providing no further explanation.
The exchange over Yahoo’s role in Shi’s conviction was barely a footnote to a conference full of triumphant talk about the transformational power of the Internet. The keynote speech was delivered by former president Bill Clinton, who characterized China’s Internet entrepreneurs as a progressive force for change in Chinese society. He pointed out that Internet reports played a key role in forcing the Chinese government to acknowledge and then stamp out the deadly outbreaks of the SARS virus two years ago.
Clinton’s trip to China was paid for in part by Alibaba.com, one of China’s most successful Web commerce businesses. Yahoo recently purchased a 40 percent stake in the firm.
Clinton did not mention the Shi case in his speech. As he was leaving the hall, the former president declined to answer a question about the case before melting into a thicket of Chinese security and Secret Service officers.
Jack Ma, chief executive of Alibaba, said he first heard about the case on the morning of the conference and was surprised by the questions directed at Yang, his new partner.
“As a business, if you cannot change the law, follow the law,” he said. “Respect the local government. We’re not interested in politics. We’re just focused on e-commerce.”
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