Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86689 posts
Wed Nov-08-17 02:19 PM
20. "I'm not worried about basketball if I'm them." In response to In response to 19
They've been released, but they've been ordered not to leave their hotel until the judge decides what to do. There's no due process in China, so that could take weeks of essentially hotel arrest. And if they decide to press charges, China doesn't give a fuck. They've jailed foreigners before, likely for less. There's no extradition treaty with China. There's a 99% conviction rate in cases like these. So if the Louis Vuitton manager feels like being an asshole or "making an example," then their asses may go to Chinese prison. *Will* it happen? Hopefully not, I'd even say it's more likely to not... but it's a more tenuous situation than I think most people realize.
I asked a friend who studies international relations with China for a living about the situation. Her eyes got big when I told her the details, and she said, "They better not give anyone a reason to be petty. Or they're toast."
So if I'm them, I don't care a scrap about basketball right now. I care about not landing in Chinese prison. Which, regardless of who they know, is an actual possibility.