Chinese billionaire Sun Dawu, whose company is among China’s biggest, with businesses ranging from meat processing and pet food to schools and hospitals, has been jailed for 18 years in what the BBC describes as the latest in a string of punishments against outspoken corporate bosses.
Sixty-seven-year-old Sun was found guilty of, among other things, ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’, a charge the BBC says is often used against activists.
It notes that Sun has in the past spoken out about human rights and politically sensitive topics.
Other charges against him include illegally occupying farmland, assembling a crowd to attack state agencies, and obstructing government workers from performing their duties. He was also fined 3.11 million yuan ($478 697).
Sun reportedly denied many of the accusations against him in a pre-trial hearing, describing himself as an ‘outstanding Communist party member’. However, he reportedly admitted to making mistakes, including posting messages online.
According to the BBC, he was reportedly detained last year, along with 20 relatives and business associates, over a land dispute with a government-run farm.
AFP reports that, at the time, Sun said dozens of his employees were injured in an incident with police related to the dispute.
Sun is said to be close to some prominent Chinese political dissidents and has in the past criticised the government’s rural policies.
He was one of the few people to openly accuse the government of covering up an African swine flu outbreak, which affected his farms in 2019, and later devastated much of the country’s industry.
The BBC says China has of late been cracking down on businesses and entrepreneurs in the country. Major technology companies including Alibaba, Didi and Tencent are being investigated for a range of regulatory issues.
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