Property rights are not respected in China, according to a Los Angeles Times article.
URUMQI, China — Bai Yiben worked hard to build up his property development business after retiring from a state-owned textile company in 1992, saving every penny and plowing it back into the company. After years of struggling, his firm turned the corner in 2000. His newfound wealth didn’t go unnoticed. Powerful officials linked to China’s military and Communist Party decided they wanted the fruits of his labor, family members charge. Officials hounded Bai, 68, and his two sons, they say, manufactured state’s evidence, brought suit in their own courts with no pretext of objectivity, forced the three men into a life on the run and ended up with everything. The officials aren’t talking.
The story goes on to cite numerous examples of expropriation of private business firms by Chinese government officials.