http://thepekingorder.blogspot.com/2008 ... t-and.html
This is a fascinating corporate practice. I guess it is because there are criminal penalties for corporate malfeasance in China? It sounds like the participants think they are getting away with something, but it seems more likely that the guys paying them money are the ones getting away with something, at the white guys' expense.
People that do this need to be *VERY* careful. The actual term for this is called 'RenTou', literally meaning people's head. It's basically companies of ill repute coming up with false figureheads to take the fall if something goes wrong. They also try to get westerners for this role to give the company an air of 'internationalism' and more credibility. I've run into this type of thing multiple times in the decades I've been doing business in Taiwan and China.
This happens not only in China, but Taiwan as well. Generally it tends to happen in the more rural cities. The author alludes to this: "Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of".
All might be well if the company happens to do well and nothing bad happens. But if the company goes awry or are fraudulent, guess where the GongAn (Chinese police) are gonna come knocking?
In America we have a name for this type of gig. Fraud. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.