re: ** hundreds of real ounces of gold imho Hundreds of ounces...

re: ** hundreds of real ounces of gold imho Hundreds of ounces to SGX, 10's of thousands of ounces to the Chinese "authorities". See below.

From the West Australian

China bad risk says ex-diplomat

A high profile defector from China's diplomatic corps has warned western businesses against stepping up business in China.

"I would not suggest to French businesses to invest in China - the government is not stable," Chen Yonglin, a former first secretary at the Chinese consulate in Sydney, said in Paris.

"A lot of businessmen from the western world believe that China is growing ...there are actually deeper crises under the surface."

He said rivalries between President Jintao and powerful supporters of former president Jiang Zemin were putting the government at risk of collapse.

Mr Chen 37, was granted a 5 year renewable protection visa from Australia after abandoning his post in May.

"The Chinese communist party has been nurtered by economic growth and now the communist Government has all the resources to be used to persecute people who have different views," he said.

"The government is corrupt. Businesses that want to work in China must adjust to this corrupt environment. there is no real law - the law is fixed according to officials at each level of government".