China must face many challenges as it moves forward and tries to take its place as one of the greatest and most powerful countries on the world stage in modern times. They have been leaving behind their communist roots, embracing the free market and bestowing more (although not all) freedoms upon their people. But perhaps the biggest issue that they have to deal with in order to make sure that the country runs smoothly and progresses quickly is that of corruption. The new president, Xi Jinping has publically made it clear that removing corruption within the system is one of his chief goals.
The systems of the old communist network are often easily abused. Much like with the USSR’s shift back to Russia and away from their own form of communism, people entrenched within those systems use their power for self-benefit, destroying the integrity of the political system in the process. Unlike Russia, China has been making a smooth transition from former government structure to the current one, thus preventing the Russian dilemma of criminal organizations seizing vast amounts of power. But the corruption still exists.
Xi Jinping, upon becoming the newest president of China, has pledged to war against corruption. He stated his opinion that corruption within all areas of the government, from the lowest official to the highest, endangers the survival of the party and the country. Over the course of his rule, there have been several signs that what he had to say is more than just another empty political promise.
Several incidents have shown this by example. Recently, a bank executive for the state-run Agricultural Bank of China was, after a year-long investigation, finally kicked from his post, removed from the Communist Party and will possibly face indictment. In another incident, the deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission was fired due to allegations of corruption. Last year, the Railways Minister was brought up on criminal charges. Yet another recent case involved an underground moneylender who scammed about $100 million from investors and was, in a rather harsh display of justice, sentenced to death.
Amazingly, one of the biggest contributors to the war against corruption has been the Internet, an area of technology that China heavily regulates. People have been spamming the electronic world with accusations of corruption against all areas of the government. Knowledge and speculation is everywhere, as people feel safer when they are able to tell their tales more anonymously and perhaps save themselves from retribution. This has led to many corrupt officials being exposed, though it is a double-edged sword. Not only does the Internet fill up with garbage accusations just as much as legitimate ones, but China’s need to control what is allowed on the Internet has kept it from being as powerful a tool as it could be. And when accusations have come against the most powerful names in the government, reprisals have often followed.
Of course, the war against corruption is a convoluted thing. It is just as easy for an entrenched power that is corrupt in-and-of-itself to use the war as an excuse to eliminate their rivals. This begs the question of whether China’s commitment is really against all corruption or just against those without power enough to keep themselves off the radar. It could be that President Xi is merely consolidating his power by making a great public show. There is also the possibility that innocents are being accused, such as in the controversial case against Bo Xilai last year. Bo was publically against corruption and did many things to help the poorest in his area of China, but fell from grace at the height of his power because of corruption charges.
Whatever the real motivation, the removal of corrupt officials on any level at least helps with the problem a bit. Even if one side takes power over the other, it still prevents the average person from being caught in the middle of the power struggle and perhaps creates some breathing room. Without a doubt, China must look at corruption in a serious light or risk watching their country lose its momentum and end up stagnating due to greedy and short-sighted officials. If that were to happen, the country would be stuck forever in the past, unable to reach the future that it so desires.
Xi Jinping photo courtesy of Erin A. Kirk via Wikicommons
Bo Xilai photo courtesy of 图片来源: 美国之音张楠拍摄 via Wikicommons
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