Xi Jinping's War on Corruption

[Randy W]

This article in the New York Times on the Xi administration's War on Corruption within the Communist Party may be of interest - you decide

 

It discusses "the consensus among China watchers that corruption has increased significantly in the last two decades. . . ., a 100 percent increase (after adjusting for inflation)."

"Unscrupulous officials have been stealing more since the early 1990s thanks partly to a large increase in infrastructure spending. "

Crony Communism in China

 

But Mr. Xi’s campaign goes well beyond any immediate desire to establish his political supremacy. It is unprecedented in sweep and ambition, taking on the class of 5,000 or so very senior officials who operate the most vital organs of the C.C.P., the government, the military and state-owned enterprises. Its goal is no less than to upend the unspoken system by which China’s elites have been governing since the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989: a self-reinforcing web of relations based on patronage and corruption. As a leader driven by a historic mission to safeguard the C.C.P.’s rule against all odds, Mr. Xi sees endemic corruption as a serious threat to the regime’s long-term survival.

But corruption has penetrated so very deeply into the party-state that it has become the glue that holds it together. And so Mr. Xi’s campaign, which is meant to ensure the C.C.P.’s longevity, seems to pose an existential threat to it in the short or medium term.

. . .

Based on reports from the offices of provincial and municipal prosecutors, between one-third and two-thirds of all corruption cases in China today involve multiple officials and businessmen. In the 1980s, most corruption was committed by individuals acting alone. This newer, collusive form of corruption is far more pernicious because it is harder to detect and to stop, and it corrodes the institutional integrity of the state.

It also threatens the party’s control over local elites: Colluding officials typically promote and protect each other in a tight patronage network

 

 

[Randy W]

Oops - forgot the link

 

http://omnifeed.com/article/www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/opinion/crony-communism-in-china.html

 

The article goes on to talk about some of the snags it may run into

 

Some local officials are deliberately slowing down the pace of their work — like approving projects or executing routine administrative tasks — apparently to pressure him into ending or softening his anti-corruption campaign. If the economy flags, their calculation seems to be, Mr. Xi will have to shift his attention to reviving growth, a pillar of the party’s legitimacy.

 

 

 

Like I said, a moderately interesting article - nothing real profound.

[Doug]

I have quite the little story to tell of corruption in the sports world in China. It can be comical in a way, but then that kind of comedy is also a daily life for folks in the Chicago area, as I recall from when I lived up there. The only dif is we see it in the news and TV.

 

I am just waiting for work, and things we are preparing for the interview to settle down. Plus I need to go learn how to post videos on YouTube. I will try to write it all up and post.