Hey Soab,
It's not about the airline liking or disliking you. I flew in China for a 1 1/2 years and at least at the airline that I was at if they liked you they would go the extra mile to keep you and if they didn't, usually in the form of guys just not flying to their standards or fitting in with the program they just fired them.
But as far as using the Medical for dismissing pilots this is simply not the case. Most of the air carriers in China need experienced Captains and to have the government step in and get rid of a guy for "sludgy gall bladder" is a real hit to their operation. Do I believe that some airlines have a better relationship with their local CAAC medical staff than others, absolutely. I know that where I was they did not enjoy a very good relationship with the Guangzhou CAAC (they are the medical administrating body that oversaw medicals in the region) Do I believe that some regions of the CAAC are less stringent than others, yup, know it for a fact.
But as so many have said "this is China" you and I will never comprehend the myriad of subtle workings, back room deals, alliances, payoffs, bribes, and the ever present Asian reality of saving face, losing face, causing your boss to save face, causing your boss to lose face, etc., etc.
I was at Shenzhen Airlines, I liked it there, I pretty sure I was liked as well. And to this day if I was to go and get a potential harmful, totally unnecessary Angiogram they would have me back tomorrow. But I'm not, and the CAAC could care less if I did or not. Shenzhen still needs captains, but for them as well as other Airlines there isn't a whole lot they can do to sway the mind of the gov. Look at what is happening at Beijing Capitol. At some level they have pissed off the CAAC and now they are not allowed to get any more planes till the prerequisite amount of brown nosing and payoffs and penalty box time has been met.
