By Adel Sabry

China’s Communist Party Takes on Corruption

By Adel Sabry

The author is vice

chief editor of the

Egyp tian newspaperAl-Wafd

I n February 2007, when I visited China as a member of an Egyptian delegation, I was surprised to find that Chinese people could talk about corruption so openly. I had gotten the impression from Western media that China always avoided touching on the topic. On the contrary, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prem ier Wen Jiabao have made anti-corruption one of their top priorities and the Chinese media regularly report on instances of corruption.

I came to China again in May, as the country was under scrutiny from Western media. BothTimeandThe Economisthad recently run cover stories about China’s corruption problems. After arriving in Beijing, I found that not only did government officials express their opinions on corruption openly,but they also disclosed details of corruption cases.

The Chinese Government has relentlessly pursued anti-corruption efforts. President Hu stressed in one of his speeches in July that the Communist Party of China (CPC) should govern itself more strictly and take measures to crack down on the problem. Prem ier Wen said in his article Let Power Run in the Sun,published in April inQiushi(Seeking Truth)magazine, a theoretical journal of the CPC,that a government should serve the people,be pragmatic and honest. He required governmental officials at different levels to be supervised by the whole society and to respect and protect citizens’ and organizations’ rights of supervision. “The government at each level should respond to the questions raised by the public and the media immediately by investigating problems and solving them in accordance w ith the law,” he said in the article.

In 2007, the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention (NBCP) was established to tackle the problem of corruption. The media have long paid close attention to corruption and have revealed major cases. The data from the NBCP show that from 1982 to 2011, a total of 4.2 m illion governmental and Party officials were punished for corruption, among whom 465 were officials at ministerial and provincial levels. According to Cui Hairong, Deputy Director of the NBCP,between 2003 and 2011, more than 42,000 officials were transferred to the judicial organs on charges of corruption, including Chen Liangyu,a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

I once talked about the problem of corruption w ith the vice mayor of Shanghai during a visit. He said that in 2010 the disciplinary inspection and supervision departments nationwide handled 139,621 cases of embezzlement and bribery, wound up 139,482 cases and punished 146,517 officials, retrieving 8.97 billion yuan ($1.42 billion). In his view,corruption exists in every country, and it is important to punish corrupt officials strictly because of its negative impact on society and the economy. He also called on countries around the world to unite in fighting against corruption. According to him, China has so far signed anti-corruption cooperation pacts w ith more than 80 countries and regions.

“China has fought against corruption continuously for the last 20 years. Especially since the 16th National Congress of the CPC,the Party has taken more effective measures in cracking down on corruption,” said Li Xueqin, head of the research division under the CPC Central Comm ission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), in an interview w ith the Xinhua News Agency.

From 2002 to 2012, the Central Government of China has made remarkable progress in tackling problems that people are concerned about,such as the use of public funds for overseas trips,overspending on official vehicles, and excessive ceremonies and forums.

“The fight against corruption w ill be long,complicated and arduous. However, I believe that as long as we continue to combat corruption and building a clean government, we will see a brighter future,” Li said.

He Guoqiang, Secretary of the CCDI,pointed out in a report delivered in January that the discipline inspection departments should first resolutely strengthen supervision and investigation on issues of the most direct concern to the people and safeguard the interests of the public. Second, they should strengthen supervision of the implementation of the country’s major policies. He also called on the personnel of the Party’s discipline inspection agencies to be fully aware of the harsh situation of the fight against corruption and have faith in w inning that battle.

Zhou Yongkang, a member o f the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Comm ittee of Political and Legislative A ffairs of the CPC Central Comm ittee, gave a speech in June at the fourth sem inar of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. He said recovering corrupt officials’ illicit assets is crucial to fightingcorruption. The anti-corruption agencies in many countries and regions have recognized the urgent need to carry out international cooperation in recovering corrupt officials’illicit assets transferred abroad and demanding other countries to freeze such assets to cut off the officials’ means of living overseas. He also said that the Chinese Government had worked together with many other countries in effectively retrieving such funds. In October 2006, China enacted the Law on Anti-Money Laundering, which showed China’s willingness to coordinate w ith other countries and regions in punishing corrupt officials who flee overseas.

BROUGHT TO JUSTICE: Wang Jiping,form er Director o f the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau, stands trial for the charge o f em bezzling m ore than 10.47 m illion yuan ($1.66 m illion)and taking b ribes totaling 4.35 m illion yuan ($690,476) on Novem ber 28, 2011

In May 2011, China passed an act aimed at punishing corrupt officials at the village level, the fi rst attempt to restrain the conduct of cadres at the village level. This act forbade these cadres from seeking benefits for their relatives by using their adm inistrative power.They were also prohibited from securing illegal benefi ts for themselves in land transfers and rentals. If the cadres violated the act, theywould be punished accordingly and their illicit gains would be seized. Until now, this act has pushed cadres at the village level to fulfi ll their responsibilities and safeguarded the interests of the rural public. In the same month of 2011, the State Council, China’s cabinet,issued an official document which urged fiscal departments to regulate commercial gift cards in order to prevent money laundering,tax evasion and bribery.

Corruption appears in various forms around the world, endangering a country’s economy and political system. Therefore, it should be a high priority for every nation to address it. China’s corrupt officials can even be sentenced to death according to the law, demonstrating China’s strict determination to root out corruption.