The Independent : A disturbing prelude to an era of growing Chinese power - Leading Articles, Opinion - The Independent

"At the end of a decade in which China has become a global power, it is making headlines for the wrong reasons. First, it was accused of wrecking the climate change talks in Copenhagen. Then there was the savage sentence meted out to the courageous dissident Liu Xiaobo. His so-called crime has been to persistently call for constitutional change and reform of the one-party system, for which he has just been handed a swingeing 11-year sentence.

And now there is the firing squad awaiting the Briton Akmal Shaikh this week. Unless Beijing reacts at last to repeated pleas for clemency that have come from his relatives and from the Foreign Office, he may have the unhappy distinction of becoming the first European to be executed in China in half a century."

These draconian sentences highlight Beijing's indifference to democratic values.

Note EU-Digest: unfortunately the US has been relatively quiet on these matters relating to Democracy and Freedom of Speech since China finances most of the enormous US debt.

The Independent: A disturbing prelude to an era of growing Chinese power - Leading Articles, Opinion