From the EastSouthWestNorth blog:
Lai Changxing is the smuggling kingpin involved in the greatest known corruption case in the history of the People’s Republic of China. He is presently fighting a deportation order in Canada and part of his argument is based upon the fact that Canada does not deport people to countries where they could face possible execution. The following is the translation of an article in Asia Weekly (Yahzhou Zhoukan) in which Lai Changxing discloses his intention to publish his memoirs….
Lai Changxing told Asia Weekly that he has decided to write a book and then tell his personal experiences and the truth about the Yuanhua case: “I want to let more people in China know about how I grew up, how I conducted my business and what I did step by step.” He said that his business, his inner thoughts and his deals with senior Chinese Communist officials “are known only to myself. I was not a murderer or arsonist like what the Chinese authorities say. I was just a businessman. The Chinese people are only listening to the one-sided story of the Chinese government. They do not know what I am really like as a person.” [Full Text]
See also China.org’s “A Corruption Base Closes to the Public — Why?“:
This seven-story Red Building looks plain enough outside — but inside Lai Changxing, owner of Xiamen Yuanhua Group, used 100 million yuan (US$12 million) to decorate this ¬°¬∞office building¬°¬± as a playground for corrupt government officials. He devised elaborate safeguards, such as building a secret path into the premises for the officials who feared their activities might bring censure if detected. While the officials were enjoying luxurious entertainments ¬®C including sexual services ¬®C and bribes in this safe haven, Lai Changxing recorded their activities with mini-cameras, then pressured the officials to work for his smuggling empire. Altogether three ministerial officials, 26 government department directors and 86 county officials became mired in Lai Changxing¬°¬Øs scheme. With their assistance, Lai Changxing smuggled over US$60 billion (530 billion yuan) worth of products in three and a half years, the biggest smuggling case since China was founded in 1949.
