Karishma Vaswani, Columnist

Why It’s So Risky Doing Business in China

Beijing continues to lock up foreign executives without notice. It’s the wrong signal to send to the international community.

February 5, 2024 at 9:00 PM UTC

By Karishma Vaswani

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Executives can fall foul of vague and opaque rules — with devastating consequences. — Executives can fall foul of vague and opaque rules — with devastating consequences.
Photographer: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

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There is an assumption inherent in the world of international business that as long as you don’t break the law, life should be relatively uneventful.

That’s not always the case in China. Australian writer and blogger Yang Hengjun, who was detained during a visit to Guangzhou in 2019, received a suspended death sentence on Monday after years of intense negotiations between Beijing and Canberra that have come to naught. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called it a harrowing verdict.