GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON #232
China still has capital punishment though the number of executions has fallen from 12,000 in 2015 to 2,000 in 2020. One execution was unexpected – Lai Xiaomin, former Chair of China Huarong Asset Management, in January 2021 for accepting bribes of $279m.
Bureaucrats were frightened + the number of government officials who turned themselves in jumped 50% to 16,000 following the Party Discipline Committee’s leniency for Party members who voluntarily surrendered. Cases have been reported in Qinghai Province (Vice-Governor), Chongqing, Shandong and Beijing (leading officials in Education and Pharmaceuticals).
Xi Jinping is not settling private scores but reminding Party members that corrupt officials damage the leading role of the Party and seriously undermines Party/People relations. But why Corruption? China is a Socialist country, isn’t it? It should be free of bribery +fraud shouldn’t it? So how come Corruption is a problem? See my second post today.
Graham Perry
