The Washington Post writes about Zhang Zhijian, who was detained in 2006 after reposting an essay outlining collusion between food and drug regulators and pharmaceutical companies:
The case of Zhang and other would-be whistleblowers opens a window into the weaknesses of China’s regulatory system, which in recent months has come under global criticism after a string of recalls of unsafe pet food, toothpaste, toys, tires and seafood.
It is a setup that suffers from infighting among the five main agencies charged with food and drug safety, a lack of enough personnel and a legal code that is still being written. But its most challenging problem may be that it allows officials to silence voices that are trying to expose trouble. [Full text]
For more background on Zhang’s case, see “Netizen Arrested For Re-posting A Report” from ESWN.
