Higher Death Compensation For Foreigners, Netizens React

From XinhuaNet:

Recently, the Shenzhou branch of The People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China entrusted a lawyer to petition Hengyang City Immediate People’s Court in Hunan Province, demanding further hearing regarding a mistaken verdict by the aforementioned company in dealing with compensation issues in a traffic accident. As a result, this quiet incident of the “domestic car accident, whether foreigners and countrymen have the same value,” caused waves of heated debates.

Death of Singaporean national in an car accident, the family demand compensation of 4 million yuan.

The morning of March 9th, a Singaporean national named Cheng Rui was riding on a passenger car driven by Zhao Guanzong from Hengdong, Hunan Province, traveling by the way of the Hunan section on Jingzhu Highway. At the time, there was heavy fog, causing limited visibility. At the same time, at that section of the highway, Zhang Weihua from Shicao Village of Dancheng County in Hunan province was driving a heavy semi-trailer truck. Although facing foggy circumstances, Zhang Weihua did not lower his speed according to regulations. When he realized there was a traffic accident ahead between the passing lane and the normal lane, he was too slow to respond, causing his vehicle to collide with a concrete-mixer truck ahead, at the same time, the concrete-mixer truck collided with the vehicle driven by Zhao Guanzong making an illegal left lane change, pushing Zhao Guanzong’s car to collide with a heavy cargo truck, leading to a tragedy. Cheng Rui in the passenger car died instantly. Riding in the same car, Zeng Hui, Cheng Li, Zhao Yangjie, Zhou Hongming all received different degrees of injuries, among them Zeng Hui received 5th degree injuries, Cheng Li received 10th degree injuries.

In the aforementioned incident, Hunan Province Public Security Bureau, Traffic Police manager Tan Lei confirmed: Zhang Weihua violated “The Road Traffic Safety Law,” “The Road Traffic Safety Regulations”, and related rules, he is the main reason for the cause of the accident, and should take the main responsibility. Since Zhao Guanzong chose to [illegally] pass when facing the parked or slowing car ahead of him, he is the secondary reason for the accident, and must take secondary responsibility toward the incident.

April 15th, 2009, Cheng Rui’s father filed lawsuit at Hengdong County People’s Court, where the accident took place. September 29th, 2009, Hengdong county People’s Court held public hearing regarding this case.

During the trial hearing, Cheng Rui’s father brought up that Cheng Rui was his only son, studied abroad and immigrated to Singapore. The plaintiff’s investment in [his son’s] development included labor, material, and wealth [investments]. Cheng Rui’s sudden death, brought them unrecoverable spiritual suffering and huge economic loss. Therefore, the plaintiff demanded from the defendant to compensate various losses totaled at 4 million yuan.

The accused Zhang Huawei’s entrusted representative Liu Xueqin argued, the plaintiff’s compensation request is too high, and would only accept compensation in accordance with the laws and regulations. Another defendant’s [representative] from The People’s Insurance Company (Group) of China Shenzhou branch argued, the plaintiff’s request for compensation of death and spiritual loss is too high, and it does not have legal justifications. Both sides’ opinions differed greatly.

Comments on XinhuaNet

西风留旧寒:

Import price is high, export price is low!!!

jklasdf:

After 1976, foreigners regained their status as masters.

闽南风:

I suddenly feel the Qing Dynasty is not so bad!

yebaiheqi:

It is far more than the different values between our countrymen and foreigners. Just domestically, people in cities and towns have the same lives, but different values, and that is already difficult to accept…

血仍未冷:

This is the essence of the Reform and Opening Up, moreover [a policy] that didn’t change for 100 years!

聊天喝茶:

In China, it should follow Chinese laws, why scruple with foreigners’ laws, this is not equal!

刚从山上来:

Chinese history is like this, foreigners worth more than the Chinese, foreign dogs also worth more than Chinese dogs.

东方庶评:

Why so many people want to get a green card, this is another good explanation.

picesfish:

Even the compensation between domestic cities and villages are different, let alone foreigners.

Comments on Sohu:

搜狐浙江省宁波市网友:

Slave mentality remains unchanged to this day. Cups, the cups of the country, the cups of the nation.

搜狐江苏省苏州市网友:

In China, it should follow China’s laws. Isn’t everyone equal supposed to be equal in the face of the law?

搜狐手机网友:

If they are from countries below the poverty line, will they receive less compensation?

搜狐河南省网友:

Even if I die I will go to developed nations abroad [to die].

搜狐云南省昆明市网友:

Many views all compare Chinese with foreigners from countries with higher economic capacity than us, if they are foreigners from economic capacities lower than our country (e.g. North Koreans, Laotians) who had accidents here, should [they] receive less compensation compared to [people] domestically? In reality it is not the difference between foreigners and Chinese, but the difference between the rich and the poor. Even domestically, the lives between the rich and the poor have different values, how many more examples do you need?