[CuittisIL]

More Americans go to Europe than go to China.

[gymnAnemoe]

http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=7407

China is the world's biggest prison for journalists (33 detained), cyber-dissidents (49 detained) and free speech activists...

[SimSlim]

google on '"american citizen" arrest china' gives some 92.000 hits. Some of them must be about real arrests.

[Queueftof]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/0...a.html?ref=rss

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/205284

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/...ils060112.html

[dmitrynts]

Originally posted by BlackCat
google on '"american citizen" arrest china' gives some 92.000 hits. Some of them must be about real arrests. That's sloppy searching. "American citizen arrested in China" yields only 2 results and they are for some guy named Li, obviously a Chinese-American.

Vesayen is right, stories of Westerners arrested in China are rare. I've also noticed it. Probably two factors are at play: 1) self selection - the country is far away so those who do get there are of the wealthy and law obiding type and 2) the Chinese autorities choose to be lenient with Westerners to preserve the image of a pleasant tourist destination.

[OwdBKKHO]

That was my thoughts Vet, except I would swap "tourist friend" with 'buisness frienly' , but I wonder which is the bigger influence.

[galaktiusman]

BlackCat arrest China

Gives us 8000+ results. What does that mean? That at least some BlackCats were arrested in China? Don't be silly.

[Longwow]

i have a suspicion that vet is being ironic

[cholleyhomeob]

Originally posted by VetLegion
BlackCat arrest China

Gives us 8000+ results. What does that mean? That at least some BlackCats were arrested in China? Don't be silly.

[Ephejvll]

That's because I have arrested over 12,000 Chinese citizens

[Cwvnyfsj]

If more results are better, just add "breasts".

[markkisil]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by BlackCat


Well, I prove one thing - google is a lousy serch engine[QUOTE]

It's the best there is, but I've sorely missed it being sensitive to capitalization on few occassions.

Your seach is worthless since it does only give two hits and mine is similiar since it gives 92.000+ - both results are idiotic.

As a way of proving something, yes, they are.

Thogh, my 92.000+ result is a bit better because it can be improved wich yours can't.

Well I'm hitting diminishing returns discussing this further. You can think your result is better if you want . Searching for exact phrases can underestimate the number of potentially interesting documents, but it can't overestimate it. You be the judge which is a better policy, to err on the side of caution or to accuse China based on a figure returned using a few unquoted words which can and do appear in different contexts.

[daguy]

Originally posted by BlackCat
google on '"american citizen" arrest china' gives some 92.000 hits. Some of them must be about real arrests. I estimate that a large portion of those are to random forums and blogs musing on crap like this, while the remainder are to articles about Americans having heart attacks while munching duck in Shanghai.

[LorencoLoricelli]

Yes, ignore links/evidence/facts that disprove your position and go with the anecdotal "proof".

Makes things easy.

[saopinax]

I hate to burst your bubble Vesayen but you askd about "westeners being charged in China", not Americans.

There are plenty of westerners arrested/charged/detained/jailed in China. The evidence has been provided.

[kathy]

"Wing"?


Originally posted by Wezil


http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/0...a.html?ref=rss

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/205284

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/...ils060112.html

[11Woxsepmoomo]

CBC does not count, one random news site i've never heard of-I did not hear that story in any other source anyway. The star, okay, that is one(one).

The question is better answered by Alienstra then 1 news article.

[Immampdah]

Originally posted by Vesayen
CBC does not count, one random news site i've never heard of-I did not hear that story in any other source anyway. The star, okay, that is one(one).

The question is better answered by Alienstra then 1 news article. The fact you've never heard of the CBC does not surprise me. You have also never heard of westerners being arrested in China. B follows A.

[AnetTeilor]

Wezil - fair enough, I see your point.

However, his title says "never hear" of westerners in trouble.

Your link is perfectly valid in proving that there are stories about them. It proves nothing, however, about specifically why Ves has never heard of them.

If you're going to go with a literalist reading, the question was phrased on a broadly subjective issue that nobody can really answer.

Objectively, I offered some evidence to show that there is a factual reason for the phenomenon. You're right in that it's not an absolute phenomenon (i.e. "never") but every Chinese "news researcher" I've spoken to has confirmed that even in the press, which the CCP is very touchy about, white people are let off far more lightly than Chinese-born workers. (They call them researchers because they're not allowed technically to work as journalists officially.)

Edit: I just realized "earplugs" could be a suitable answer to Ves' question?

[spacecrafty]

I did some searches.

foreign citizen "arrested in china" 998
foreign citizen "arrested by chinese" 697
foreign citizen "arrested by china" 127

foreign citizen "arrested in us" 922
foreign citizen "arrested by american" 868
foreign citizen "arrested by us" 2640

foreigner "arrested in china" 2300
foreigner "arrested by chinese" 572
foreigner "arrested by china" 841

foreigner "arrested in us" 2110
foreigner "arrested by american" 1460
foreigner "arrested by us" 3370