@ZMC - totally agree with you.
@998S - also agree with you about negotiating a "Chinese solution"

China can be so f'd up.

I am not a lawyer, and I have virtually no expertise in Chinese Criminal Law, but I do have working experience inside the Western justice system. Back home, there is the offence of "Theft" and also the separate offence of "Possession of Stolen Property (PSP)." Each are serious offences, and each have equivalent penalties. What is interesting about PSP is the reverse onus - you have to prove that you didn't know that it was stolen. Possessing a vehicle without proper paperwork (e.g., title) would overwhelmingly imply that you knew it was stolen, even if you were not the original thief. You'd almost certainly be charged with PSP, and probably convicted, unless you had a plausible story or a damn good lawyer.

Inside China, I have often heard Chinese people having zero sympathy for thieves - there is a vile hatred of thieves. Theft is considered a very serious crime in China.

However, and this has always totally amazed/confused me, there doesn't seem to be an offence of PSP in China - and people don't seem concerned about it. It appears that once an item is in the market, it is ok, and is freely traded. I don't agree with that, at all, but it seems to be how things operate here.

The same applies with illegal imports - if it is caught by Customs during the importation process, the item is seized and perhaps the smuggler is penalized. But after it is in the country, it appears to be perfectly ok.

The weirdest thing I have seen in Beijing is when the illegal bikes, complete with fake plates, are seized by the police ... the "owner" subsequently goes to the impound lot, pays a fine, and then rides out the front gate of the impound lot with the fake plates still attached. What is this insanity? Some weird "catch & release" program? It is like getting caught with illegal recreational drugs back home, going to the evidence room at the police station, paying a fine, and then walking out the front door of the police station with your goodies in hand.

Chinese logic makes my head hurt.