Thursday April 26, 5:27 PM Chinese Robbers Get Death Sentence BEIJING (AP) - Two men who robbed an American diplomat of $50 have been sentenced to death, officials said Thursday. Armed with knives, Li Guang and Mu Jiangqiao also stole a camera and a watch from a U.S. diplomat in the southwestern tourist center of Lijiang in August, the government's Xinhua news agency said. The Shanghai-based diplomat was not identified. His assailants also confessed to committing several other robberies. The U.S. Consulate in Shanghai did not comment. In a separate capital case, Zhang Yunsong robbed two Dutch tourists of $80 in Lijiang in July, the report said. Zhang confessed to six other robberies and received the death penalty, Xinhua said. An official at the Lijiang Intermediate Court, who gave his name only as Mr. Zhang, confirmed the death sentences. China tends to punish crimes against foreigners more harshly to secure an image as a safe place for tourism and investment. Despite increasing crime and violence nationwide, crimes against foreigners remain rare. China executes more prisoners each year than the rest of the world combined. State-run media have reported more than 100 executions so far this month. Most executions are carried out by gunshot to the back of the head.
