My wife is Chinese and we travel back from the United States to Beijing regularly. I try to see as much of China as I can, and I have an opinion on what I see as an outsider.

I think your police need to be more assertive. One day I was waiting for a bus at Beijing airport. As soon as the bus arrived, people began pushing and shoving each other to get on it. In the melee, a man couldn't get on the bus.

But instead of waiting for the next bus, he went crazy, screaming and shouting. He then sat on the road in front of the bus, stopping it from leaving. Security personnel came and "negotiations" went on for 15 minutes. They eventually let him board the bus, which left more than 15 minutes late.

In the US, police would have forced the protesting man to the ground, handcuffed him and taken him away.

Moreover, some people drive cars without number plates. This is illegal all over the world. If they are involved in an accident and drive away, how can you identify them?

Tony Scott, via e-mail

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(China Daily 09/12/2012 page9)