Results tagged “corruption”

Communist officials are being warned to just say "No" to escort girls after recent scores of corruption and criminal cases involving officials and ladies of the night (including, we suppose, the ongoing charges against Chongqing's highest judicial official, Wen Qiang, who regularly sought out underaged girls and starlets). According to Li Yuanchao, a top member in the CPC Central Committee, "Party officials ought to stay away from vulgar venues and are not allowed to visit 'sanpei xiaojie' (female escorts) for entertainment." Good luck enforcing that one, guys.

• Growing Chinese Military Creates Uncertainty: U.S. [Reuters] "The U.S. military needs better dialogue with China to avoid "mistakes and miscalculations" given an unprecedented military expansion stoking uncertainty in the region, top U.S. defense officials said Wednesday."
• Why China Isn't Ready to Lead [The Wall Street Journal] "Chinese decision makers need to realize that global economic leadership does not stem only from a large cash hoard. In the long run, a credible respect for property rights and unbiased contract enforcement will draw a larger share of global investors into the Chinese economic sphere."
• Gang crackdown, lurid mob trials transfix China [Associated Press] "After she refused a corrupt cop's demand that she turn her teahouse into an illegal casino, three thugs beat Chen Yanling with electric batons, sending her to the hospital for nearly a month. Chen is now getting some vicarious revenge, joining the throngs outside a courthouse where modern-day China's biggest, most lurid mob trials are under way. The trials are exposing sordid, deep-seated connections between organized crime and corrupt officials and police in the central mega-city of Chongqing, once known as Chungking."

• China opens a new front in Kashmir [Asia Times] "India and China appear to have opened a new front - Kashmir - in their ongoing war of words. While India has warned China against involvement in projects in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Beijing seems to be adopting a new, provocative line on Kashmir with regard to India. For years, China kept up a careful balancing act between India and Pakistan on the divided Kashmir issue, even endorsing - on occasion - India's position. It is now depicting the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir as a sovereign entity."
• The rise of China and India [Guardian] "Over the past 10 years, the global balance of power tipped towards the east. China and India - which together account for more than a third of the planet's population - finally acquired a fairer share of the world's wealth and, on everything from economic and military power to culture and climate change, they moved to the top table. The G20, which includes these two nations, supplanted the G8 as the world's most influential talking shop."
• Is India's Media Promoting China Bashing? [Business Week] "During the last two-three months, certain sections of the media, both electronic and print, have attempted to create an anti-China hysteria. Cooked-up stories of border violations were flashed up. The campaign reached absurd levels. It was so ferocious that the government had to threaten the journalists indulging in it of legal action."

• Party Elder Still Jousts With China’s Censors [NYTimes] "For nearly two decades, the Communist Party strove to wipe out the national memory of Zhao Ziyang, the reform-minded party secretary who opposed the use of force against pro-democracy protesters in 1989. So when a former aide of Mr. Zhao’s, Du Daozheng, disclosed in May that he had helped secretly record Mr. Zhao’s memoir for posthumous publication, Mr. Du’s daughter refused to let him walk outside alone for fear of possible repercussions. She need not have worried. On June 25, a top official in charge of propaganda showed up at Mr. Du’s western Beijing apartment with a reassuring message from Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Communist Party and the government. Mr. Du said he was told that, as an old friend of Mr. Zhao’s, “Zhongnanhai and party central can understand why you did this.”"
• Olympic chief in ‘secret China deal’ [Times Online] "China made a secret deal with International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge to support his election to the post in return for Rogge's lobbying for Beijing to win the 2008 Olympics, according to an explosive new book by China's sports minister at the time, Yuan Weimin. The former minister says Rogge explicitly bargained with him to win Chinese votes at the Moscow meeting of the IOC in 2001, which awarded the games to Beijing and three days later elected Rogge as president."
• China corruption trial exposes capital of graft [Telegraph] "Huang Guobi lost her husband four years ago to gangsters who brutally dismembered him with machetes before beating her senseless. When she took the case to her local police station, she found it was run by the nephew of the gang-leader. As she worked her way up the Chinese justice system, pleading for someone to bring the killers to account, she found each level riddled with corruption. This week, however, 47-year-old Mrs Huang stood outside the Number Five Intermediate People's Court in downtown Chongqing, filled with anger and satisfaction. Around her, 300 other people, many with similar stories, stood waiting for justice to be done. Inside, the first trial of China's largest-ever criminal investigation was under way, the culmination of five months of police work that has turned the city of Chongqing upside down."

China's national games haven't even officially started yet, but they are already the backdrop for an ugly scandal in one of the country's most treasured sports. Don't worry--diving queen Guo Jingjing's piles of Olympic gold aren't in jeopardy. But the integrity of the sport's biggest domestic competition was shaken when a referee quit working the national games because, she says, the result are all fixed.

• Tony Blair: China's New Cultural Revolution [WSJ] "Yesterday, just a week after the 60th anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic, China kicked off its first World Media Summit. It shows how far China has come—and how far it has to go. First, understand the problem. We all know China is a nation of 1.3 billion people, but that is just a statistic. Think of how we regard the United States—how different California is from Ohio, for example. Then quadruple it. Think of trying to meld China's 56 native ethnic groupings into one cohesive state. Think of the disaster, not just to the Chinese, but to ourselves, if it fractured."
• It's China's world. (We just live in it) [Fortune] "You wouldn't think the men who run the oil-rich country of Nigeria would have much spring in their step these days. The nation is plagued by a never-ending guerrilla war, one that has trimmed the country's oil production to two-thirds of its potential capacity. But now Nigeria is in the process of renewing production licenses for some of its most prolific offshore fields, and there's a new player in town making the traditional oil powers from the West (Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, Total) very nervous — and the Nigerian government very happy… CNOOC."
• How To Deal With Corruption In China [Forbes] "It happened to Coca-Cola on Sept. 14, to Rio Tinto a month before. Even the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has been hit. The Chinese government has now investigated employees at all three of those companies in high-profile corruption cases. At Coke, a bottling plant employee was accused of taking $1.5 million in bribes. When your company is charged with corruption in China, you have to worry about not only bad publicity but also running afoul of America's Foreign Corruption Practices Act and a Chinese government that is increasingly clamping down on the corrupt activities of foreigners."

Months after a building in Minhang literally fell over during construction, the infamous complex has finally been given safety certification by government officials. Of course, living in a newly constructed complex that's already seen a building fall down doesn't inspire much confidence, but it hasn't seemed to deter would-be residents: many of the people who bought flats in the collapsed building decided to take unoccupied flats in the building next door, even though there's a chance of structural damage from the accident. Then again, after a building falls down, you would imagine government inspectors would really inspect the complex. We're just sad we missed the tour.

We love pirates. Eyepatches, peg legs, swashbuckling- you name it, we love it. We even have a soft spot for the Somali pirates, because somewhere deep inside of us, we know that they're keeping the dream alive. Of course, these days it's pretty hard to be a pirate, and it's not as glamorous a lifestyle as it once was. Times have gotten hard: valuable cargo now has military escorts, or avoid the Gulf of Aden altogether. Heck, even Dolphins are getting in the way of your business.

It seems that the Chinese government was just getting started when it arrested employees from Rio Tinto this Summer. The newest company in the hot seat is Coca-Cola, which had an ex-employee arrested by the Shanghai police over corruption charges this weekend.

Shanghai's thinking of putting a stop to revolving doors, debating new regulations for officials after their retirement or resignation in order to check "future corruption." The regulation draft stipulates that high-level officials should not work in profit-making organizations that had a direct link to their government jobs for three years after retiring or resigning. They would also be forbidden from things that might be in conflict with the public interest. Personnel departments are now being asked to keep records of ex-officials' jobs. Source: Xinhua

Organs are hard to come by in China these days: a million people a year need transplants, but less than one percent actually receive one. Getting on the coveted organ list is easier if you're famous - the late Fu Biao had two liver transplants within a few months - but generally, the need for organs far exceeds the number of possible donors.

• Protest at China TV tower [The Straits Times] "Demonstrators gathered outside a fire-gutted tower near the new China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing on Tuesday, protesting against what they called forced eviction, state press said. About 30 residents accused the state-run television station of trying to get them to move from the area to make way for the massive and nearly completed construction project, Xinhua news agency said. After about an hour, police persuaded the protesters to put away their banners and leave, the report said. "
• China Backs Off Latest Rio Tinto Claims [WSJ] "Chinese officials distanced the government from allegations on a state-backed Web site that employees of mining giant Rio Tinto PLC had used years of "deceit" to obtain state secrets that cost China's steel industry more than $100 billion — spotlighting the murky and often confusing way China handles such secrecy cases. The allegations, published over the weekend, had quickly gained widespread attention, as they appeared to represent the government ratcheting up pressure over the case of four Rio Tinto employees, including an Australian citizen, who were detained last month by the Shanghai State Security Bureau on vague accusations of using bribery to obtain secrets that harmed China's national interests."
• Another suspect dies in Kunming police custody [GoKunming] "A man being held in detention in Kunming died in a hospital on Saturday with no clear cause of death, according to a Xinhua report. According to a police spokesperson speaking to reporters on Sunday, 43-year-old Wang Shukun (王树坤) had been held in the Guandu District Detention Center since July 19 before being checked into a hospital by police on August 6. After undergoing emergency procedures to save his life, Wang died early Saturday, the spokesperson said."

A website set up specifically to help the populace report corruption has allegedly crashed after it was inundated with more visitors than it could handle, according to the BBC. www.12309.gov.cn was launced on Monday with an accompanying hotline number to inform central government officials about local corruption complaints, but the website was designed to cope with a maximum of 1,000 people making complaints at a time. The interesting thing about this story (besides it giving us a laugh at that whole "Officials, they're so corrupt, man" thing) is that it's strikingly similar to a Xinhua story from 2007. We guess the programmers didn't bother learning from their mistakes two years ago?

Guangdong officials, perhaps not always known for their selflessness and incorruptibility, are in the middle of graft scandal that has brought down the province's top political adviser and (ironically) anti-corruption official.

• A hotel room that has stories to tell [Danwei] "But to see the photos as a realistic reflection or criticism of the social morbidity is not the only angle to appreciate them; take a closer look, you may find these photos do resemble a mystery/detective movie."
• China's navy turns 60 [Straits Times] "China's navy will mark its 60th anniversary with a ceremony starting on Thursday dubbed the 'naval Olympics' that will display the country's nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, state media said. The four-day event involves 21 vessels from 14 countries in the eastern city of Qingdao and includes a fleet review to be held Thursday - the fourth one in China since 1949."
• China Blog Guide: Ten Eclectic China Blogs You Should Follow [CNReviews] "The answer to English China blog fatigue is to start following some Atypical China Blogs. And, yes, some of the best are authored by “white dudes” (although some of them may in fact be “fake foreigners“…Adam Schokora comes to mind). Here they are..."

A Shanxi official in charge of fighting out corruption has been fired after being caught being... well, corrupted. Zhao Mingwen, the head of a watchdog commission at Jinzhong city's Public Security Bureau had arranged a police escort for his mothers' funeral procession earlier this month. When journalists tried to film the passing motorcade, they were assaulted and had their cameras stolen by his people. A Shanxi Communist Party Discipline Commission statement held Zhao “primarily responsible for the entire incident happening and for its evil influence.” Source: New Zealand Herald

Caijing has a spectacular article looking at some of the troubles still shrouding the CCTV fire from last month, and they don't all have to do with the destroyed building. The blaze that gutted the TVCC building on February 9 may have also uncovered questionable financial deals made by high-level CCTV executives.

• Morgan Stanley’s Chinese Land Scandal [NYTimes] "Last month, with property prices here and elsewhere in free fall, the bank dropped a bombshell: in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, it said it had fired an executive in its China real estate division after uncovering evidence that he might have violated the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which bars American business people from bribing foreign officials."
• U.S. Pavilion at Shanghai Expo to break ground on schedule [Xinhua] "Despite fund raising problems, officials of the U.S. Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo 2010 say they are confident they will break ground to build a national pavilion on schedule this April."
• Premier Wen urges journalists to write "true, accurate" stories [Xinhua] "Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday urged journalists to write 'true and accurate' news stories because it is a fundamental principle and a lifeline for the media. Wen told a group of Xinhua News Agency staff that Xinhua should take the lead in doing so and carry on its tradition of reporting news accurately, effectively and timely."

“领导，辛苦了！"

If Helen of Troy could be said to have a face that launched a thousand ships, we guess Lu Jiali over here had the sex appeal to launch a thousand corruption schemes. Who is she? The alleged mistress of an entire slew of Shanghai officials currently embroiled in the city's social security scandal. Rumored to be in her little black book:

Ex-Pudong Vice Governor Kang Huijun, who allegedly accepted nearly 6 million yuan in bribes, has been sentenced to life in prison. Kang, who became known as “Pudong's landlord,” was arrested in 2007. Besides the bribes, he and his wife, Wang Xiaoyin, also illegally owned 11 million yuan worth of property. Wang has been given a five-year term and about 18 million yuan of the couples' net worth has been repossessed by the government. Caijing published a great summary of what Kang and Wang did leading up to their arrest.

Shanghai Daily has published some interesting figures on city corruption. Apparently 822 government officials in Shanghai were punished last year, including 10 sub-ministry level officials and 62 division chiefs. Amongst them was Zhang Kepeng, former vice director of the city's Putuo District, and former VP of Shanghai Huayi Co., both for taking bribes.

• A man and a woman have been killed by a carbon monoxide leak in a downtown Shanghai apartment yesterday morning while two of theirr roommates remain in a coma.
• Taiwan is coordinating with mainland authorities on the possibility of increasing the number of charter flights to and from Shanghai for the convenience of Taiwanese residents looking to go home during the Lunar New Year season.
• North Carolina has opened its seventh foreign trade office in Shanghai. This is the state's second China trade office after Hong Kong.

• 50 year old Shen Zhengjuan, director of the state-owned assets administration, or SASAC, jumped to her death from her apartment in Shanghai’s Huangpu District on the last day of 2008. Caijing Online speculates her suicide may have to do with the corruption scandal of former mayor Chen Liangyu. More here and here. (Update: The Huangpu District has issued a statement to state that Shen was not corrupt and was "a person of decency" and "an official who showed true conviction to her job.")
• Approximately 80% of college students in Shanghai are willing to lower salary expectations for their first jobs, with 2% saying they would even consider a job that paid a monthly salary of under RMB1,000.
• Intestinal washes are now becoming increasingly popular in Shanghai as a result of the all the recent food scandals. One hospital reports as many as 200 customers a month.

Photo from rdx913

Yin Guoguan, former deputy director of the Shanghai Housing, Land and Resources Administration Bureau was sentenced to death for taking bribes in return for real estate approvals. His sentence will be suspended for two years. The IHT reports that usually these sentences are commuted to life imprisonment. His wife also got seven years imprisonment for her role in the corruption.

A senior official, Wu Jianping, from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) threw himself off a building on the 2nd of August after being questioned on allegations of corruption.

In recent years the government has taken a serious stance into curbing the rampant corruption that is still common place in various levels of the government. Although they have a long way to go we have seen some headway in recent years.

Liu Genshan, "Shanghai's King of the Road," has been detained on suspicion of bank loan fraud involving 4.6 billion yuan ($671 million). The highway and property development tycoon, one of China's richest men, was held for questioning by officials a week ago, the Shanghai Daily reports. According to AFP, police are investigating Liu's transactions in connection with the Yongjin highway, which opened in 2005. Liu was first accused earlier that year of moving 3 billion yuan in bank loans for highway projects overseas through illegal private banks, in a report by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption. According to China Daily, an "unnamed source close to the police bureau" confirmed that Liu is still under investigation.

As usual, Roland Soong of EastSouthWestNorth is on top of the incident, busy piecing together all the information he can find. He informs us that Weng'an is now a sensitive word, the uncle of the female student is still alive, and the body of the student is still resting in a refrigerated coffin awaiting autopsy despite this popularly-believed story. Soong also observes that the Xinhua story (which all Chinese media are made to carry) opens more questions than it answers, paving the way for all sorts of unsubstantiated rumours to dominate public opinion.