Sun, a former People's Congress deputy in Baoding, is considered one of the country's most controversial businessmen.
He believes his past experience reflects the reality of most private enterprises: using every policy loophole amid a tough market environment.
Sun, whose company was ranked among China's top 500 private companies in 1995, with fixed assets of more than 100 million yuan ($16 million), told the Global Times he had to resort to private means after banks snubbed his request for loans.
But after the fund-collecting case unfolded, his company had "managed to step out of the hell."
"Private enterprises don't always last long, and start-ups are desperate to look for financing sources and to get official permits for land use," Sun told the Global Times.
"Some people complain that private companies don't play by the rule. They have managerial deficiencies and don't give employees the benefits deserved. But the fact is that they have no option or else they'd not be able to make ends meet," Sun said.
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