I like most other Europeans read with concern the case of Akmal Shaikh, a British Citizen and China’s decision to execute him. China executes a higher proportion of its population than the US, with approximately 5000 executed in 2008, for a wide range of reasons, including corruption.

In 2009 Zhang Yujun along with 21 others were sentenced to death for their parts in the tainted milk scandal. Aside from concerns about fairness in the Chinese judicial system and the moral arguments about the death penalty, this also brings to mind a reason to be cautious when doing business in China.

The current world wide concern regarding Toyota and its large scale recall of vehicles due to faulty accelerators, strikes me, as I wonder if, had Mr Toyoda been Chinese and Toyota a Chinese rather than Japanese firm would he now be facing the death penalty rather than appearing before a congressional committee.

As a teacher I have wondered if I was ever to decide to teach in a school in China would I as a senior manager be held accountable with my life should a student have a fatal accident on a school trip.

In December the UN will vote on a global moratorium on the capital punishment.  China would be wise to consider the business as well as moral implications of its current proliferate stance on capital punishment.