You make it sound like the Chinese source is not to be trusted, and you may be right. But this story shows that the Economist is just as trustworthy as any Chinese communist sources (i.e., not very trustworthy).
The Chinese source states:
"The money was used for Wu's personal consumption and in paying back the loans and operation costs of her company, said the court."
Now this is a quote from the court which is something that should have been available to the Economist. Nevertheless the Economist made it sound that she was only persecuted for accepting financing from unofficial sources, not that she was doing anything improper with the financing.
A death sentence for running a ponzi scheme sounds like a bit much (but then again I am against most death sentences) but it is a lot less unjust than a death sentence for only accepting financing from unofficial sources, which is what the Economist makes it sound like.
The Chinese source states: "The money was used for Wu's personal consumption and in paying back the loans and operation costs of her company, said the court."
Now this is a quote from the court which is something that should have been available to the Economist. Nevertheless the Economist made it sound that she was only persecuted for accepting financing from unofficial sources, not that she was doing anything improper with the financing.
A death sentence for running a ponzi scheme sounds like a bit much (but then again I am against most death sentences) but it is a lot less unjust than a death sentence for only accepting financing from unofficial sources, which is what the Economist makes it sound like.