February 6, 2009
Nearly a decade after fleeing China in the face of smuggling and corruption charges, Lai Changxing continues to surface in the media every time there’s another twist to his marathon legal battle in Canada.
Several of today’s newspapers, including the New Culture View, reported that Lai was recently granted a temporary work permit by Canadian immigration authorities.
The move may inflame the lingering anger of some in China who believe that Canada is sheltering the fugitive from receiving the punishment he deserves. Canada has hesitated to extradite Lai to China for fear that he would be executed; the newspaper’s article, which is a republication of a Global Times summary of Canadian media reports, does not mention the death sentence issue.
Also on the front page is a headline noting that computer maker Lenovo announced that founder and former CEO Liu Chuanzhi will take over as chairman of board.
The appointment, along with other restructuring decisions, comes after the Hong Kong-listed company reported a US$97-million loss in the third quarter of last year.
- New Culture View (Chinese): Canada issued Lai Changxing work permit
- Reuters: Accused Chinese smuggler gets Canada work permit