Chinese media blame U.S. democratic system for its incompetence after a Chinese student is abducted.

Yingying Zhang, a Chinese female graduate student who disappeared in broad daylight in the U.S. state of Illinois on June 9, has not been found yet. Brendt Christensen, the man charged in Zhangskidnapping, hasnt revealed anything useful to the police. As time passes by, Zhangs family is getting more and more desperate and Chinese media have turned more and more critical, blaming the U.S. democratic system for its ineffectiveness and incompetence in the case.

Xinhua, the Chinese official news agency, launched a series of special reports, under the title of Where is Yingying? The abduction case tests U.S. rule of law, attacking the incompetence of the U.S. police and the ineffectiveness of U.S. rule of law.

The first most condemned point is that the police tracked down Christensen through his car on June 12, but didnt arrest him until June 29.Every minute wasted by the police, according to Xinhuas interpretation,directly increased the possibility of Zhangs death.

Even after the police obtained an audio recording of Christensen discussing abducting Zhang, the police still couldnt make the suspecttalk.

Xinhuaalso points tothe long and complicated procedure of court hearings and prosecution in the United States, which will bea secondblow to the victims family. The article also criticizedthe fact that Illinois has abolished the death penalty, which according toXinhuameans it will be impossible tobring an extreme criminal to justice.

Xinhuaalso attacked the principle of presumption of innocence, the fundamental cornerstone of the U.S. rule of law, which might help the criminal get away from punishment in practice.

The series of criticism won much approval fromChinese netizens. Some Chinese netizens even blamed U.S. racism for the ineffectiveresponse, arguing that the police havent tried their best because of Zhangs race and nationality. They compared Zhangs abductionwith another case in China: one Japanese young man reported to the Chinese police that his bicycle was stolen in Wuhan city. The whole citys policemen were mobilized and found his bicycle within three days.

Despite the hash criticism, some other Chinese media still tried to defend the U.S. rule of law, arguing that the U.S. Fifth Amendment isa fundamental protection of human rights. And some Chinese netizens who agree withthis point of view also explained the principle of presumption of innocence by quoting Blackstones formulation: It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.

In return, their opponents counter-argued: Better for whom?

Clearly, Zhangs case has become a fuse for Chinese people to ponder U.S. democracy and its fundamental principles.

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A Chinese Student Disappeared. China Blames US Democracy - The Diplomat