The China Daily article Party Steps Up Fight Against Corruption, dated Sept 26, reports on the Communist Party of China’s resolve to eradicate corruption. It detailed the recent conviction of the former vice-minister of public security, Sun Lijun, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes, manipulating the stock market, and illegal possession of firearms. Other members of his gang who also received heavy sentences for corruption-related offenses include former justice minister Fu Zhenghua, and three former police chiefs, of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi province.
My experience with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) tells me that corruption cases involving top law-enforcement officials are the most difficult to crack as we are dealing with professionals who are most knowledgeable when it comes to avoidance of corruption detection, and they usually have the power to silence potential witnesses. The fact that these cases have been successfully prosecuted speaks volumes about the political will of top Chinese leaders and the expertise of China’s anti-corruption bodies: the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Party’s disciplinary arm; and the National Supervisory Commission, the national anti-corruption agency. Notwithstanding the possible adverse publicity arising from such high-level corruption being exposed, the Party is prepared to “scrape poison off the bone” to demonstrate its overriding political determination to root out corruption at all cost. Many countries are still suffering from serious corruption, and the main reason is usually they do not have the political will, as shown by China, to relentlessly combat corruption. Oftentimes, high-ranking corrupt officials were untouchable, and corruption syndicates were too powerful and entrenched to confront!
On the world stage, we should take pride in the fact that China has adopted a more-proactive role in campaigning for greater international cooperation in combating cross-border corruption
Since President Xi Jinping became Party leader in 2012 and declared war against corruption, the CCDI has successfully investigated and punished 4.7 million Party members, both senior and grassroots officials alike, or “big tigers and small flies,” with many of them receiving custodial sentences. Arguably the most notorious case concerns Lai Xiaomin, chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, who was executed in January last year for taking a staggering 1.79 billion yuan ($249.8 million) in bribes in the largest bribery case in history. Hopefully, the death sentence will serve as a strong deterrent.
China’s successful battle against corruption at the highest level, accompanied by strengthened oversight to prevent a relapse, and renewed ideological education of Party members, have resulted in significant improvements in governance and the productivity of key industries. Thus, the anti-corruption achievements of the last 10 years are expected to set the stage for the 20th Party Congress on Oct 16.
On the world stage, we should take pride in the fact that China has adopted a more-proactive role in campaigning for greater international cooperation in combating cross-border corruption. China led the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to sign the Beijing Anti-Corruption Declaration; the G20 to sign the Action Against Corruption Fugitive and Money Laundering, and subsequently set up a G20 Research Center in Beijing, and recently led the BRICS group of five leading developing economies to pass a “BRICS Anti-Corruption Ministerial Communique 2022”.
As a result of its relentless effort in generating closer international cooperation, China was able to extradite 9,265 fugitives from 120 countries, and recovered 36.6 billion yuan in corruption proceeds from overseas in the last 10 years.
In Hong Kong this year, the commissioner of ICAC was elected to the prestigious presidency of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), a world body of 140 countries’ anti-corruption agencies, similar to Interpol. Whilst ICAC is world-renowned for its success in combating corruption, it is probably fair to say that its election to head the IAACA was due largely to China’s increasing international political influence. China hopes that the Hong Kong-led IAACA can contribute significantly to international cooperation, which in turn would benefit all countries, including China. Hence, ICAC must not let the central government down and should strive during its four-year term of presidency to inspire IAACA to a higher level of achievements.
Strategically, China is building up its own international network to counter the US-led strategy of encircling China. That is why China is actively expanding its network in BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Belt and Road Initiative. The IAACA can play an important role in helping China enhance international networking through building anti-corruption partnerships with these China-led bodies, while demonstrating that integrity-building can be an effective tool for developing countries in neutralizing the hegemony and harassment of the West!
The author is an adjunct professor of HKU Space and a council member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies. He is a retired deputy commissioner of ICAC and currently an international anti-corruption consultant.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
