International Herald Leader, a newspaper under Xinhua, published an article reporting that it became popular for foreign business invested in China to take their money and run away, abandoning their companies or factories in China and without filing for bankruptcy.
There are reasons for foreign investors to choose the “flee” strategy instead of a normal exit process. First, China has a lengthy process for foreign companies to terminate business in China. The bankruptcy process lasts 65 to 165 days. Some local governments even drag it to six months or a year. Second, China’s law requires the company to bear “unlimited liability” for its debt even after it declares bankruptcy.
“(If it is) easy to enter but hard to exit, (it) is definitely not a good investment environment.” said a Japanese trade promoter in Beijing.
Source, International Herald Leader, April 24, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/herald/2009-04/24/content_11248230.htm