More on our battle against corruption in China
We are continuing to escalate the pressure we are putting on local government officials in Lantian County, Xi'an. Lantian is one of the six counties surrounding Xi'an, the ancient capital of China. The local government has been taken over by a criminal gang led by a former deputy police chief. This criminal gang has been attempting to confiscate our joint venture factory which has been in continuous operation since 1998 producing high quality mineral water.
In the past three or four years, this criminal gang has torn down 17 factories and converted land illegally to private villas. These developments are sold off to wealthy Chinese. Over the years, the criminal gang has generated millions of dollars by these illegal seizures and decimated the industrial base of the county. Hundreds of workers have lost their jobs. Over twenty peasants have been beaten protesting these actions. Two have died.
We have resisted these pressures. We refuse either to pay bribes or to negotiate with representatives of the criminal gang.
To further their conspiracy, the criminal gang has bribed a deputy mayor and representatives of the Land Control Bureau. The land office illegally issued a land-use certificate to representatives of the criminal gang. The certificate covers land that should have been contributed to our joint venture.
Since our joint venture began operations, we have been unable to get the Chinese side to comply with their obligations under our joint venture contract. The Chinese side was supposed to have contributed to land certificate giving us the rights to use the land.
For nearly 6 years, we have pursued our rights in quiet negotiations with local government officials. We have even gotten a favorable decision from the Arbitration Commission in Beijing.
Now, it's clear that there is no way to resolve this issue locally. The entire government in the County has been corrupted.
In this latest letter to the Land Control Bureau, I highlight the inconsistencies of their position and demonstrate how their actions have not always subverted Chinese joint venture law, but also failed to protect the interests of the Lantian people and the Chinese Central Government.
You can learn more on this web site: http://lantiancorruption.net
