China is aiming to make a fool of itself in early 2006:
“Prosecutors are proceeding with an espionage case against a Chinese researcher for The New York Times and his trial could begin within six weeks, his defence lawyer said Friday.
“Zhao Yan, who worked for the Times’ Beijing bureau, was detained in September 2004, prompting an outcry by press freedom groups. He is charged with “providing state secrets abroad,” but the government has not given any details of what he is accused of doing.”
The confused communist and capitalist state holds a dubious record:
“China was the world’s leading jailer of reporters for the sixth consecutive year in 2004, with 42 journalists detained, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. It said most were held under national security or subversion laws.”
Let’s not forget, however, that the US is one of the worst offenders when it comes to detaining journalists.