Beijing's central inspection teams identify widespread corruption

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-10-17

Wang Qishan, chief of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection,
in Tianjin on Sept. 7. (Photo/Xinhua)

The first round of official inspections by China's central inspection teams has entered its final "clearing" phase after identifying widespread corruption concerns, reports Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po.

According to sources, the central inspection teams began inspecting Inner Mongolia, Jiangxi and 10 other areas and government units from late May this year. The longest inspection, which took place at Beijing's Renmin University of China, lasted for two months and 26 days, while the shortest, in central China's Hubei province, lasted a month and 21 days.

The length of the inspections are usually dependent on the complexity of the issues identified by the inspection teams, and the duration may be extended if serious problems are uncovered.

The various inspection teams identified a number of corruption problems which have relayed to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection — the country's top corruption watchdog. The first inspection team identified widespread corruption at the grassroots levels of state-owned China Grain Reserves Corporation, better known as Sinograin, one of the largest grain storage and transportation corporations in the country. The second inspection team identified abuse of power issues in Hubei and increasing corruption problems at grassroots levels among rural cadres. The fourth inspection team discovered graft concerns with Inner Mongolia's mineral resources allocation and project tenders, while the fifth inspection team identified potential corruption among Chongqing's state-owned enterprises.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on its official website that it was taking the feedback from the inspection teams very seriously, with commission chief Wang Qishan calling for concrete improvements. Case files have been set up for reports of corruption, and formal investigations will be conducted, the commission said.

Local media in each of the regions visited by the inspection teams have reported extensively on the inspections and the problems identified, suggesting that the Chinese government is eager to maintain a high level of transparency and openness.

The party and government chiefs of the inspected regions and units have also responded to the inspection feedback by investigating concerns and ensuring that officials take responsibility for their actions.

Wang Yukai, the deputy chief of the China Society of Administrative Reform, says the inspection feedback uncovered many problems that might not necessarily be able to be resolved, but what is important is that these problems have been brought to the attention of the public. However, Wang said, the inspections still have a lot of room for improvement, adding that there are many ways to fight corruption and the inspections are just one of them.

Just targeting economic crimes by officials is insufficient and authorities must also tackle systemic problems such as abuse of power and nepotism, especially in selecting new officials, Wang said.