This article is
hardly novel in approach, but makes a few good points about the current fight
against corruption in China. As many
analysts have noted, there are certainly ulterior motives driving Xi Jinping’s
anti-corruption campaign. The takedown
of some prominent officials and a few high-profile cases allow the Party to
regain some (much-needed) credibility.
On the other hand, Xi’s campaign so far has been quite successful. Whether or not the campaign was launched for
the right reasons, the fact remains that a number of high-level officials have
been held accountable for their crimes. While
the successes of Xi’s campaign should be
viewed with some skepticism (the Party has retained strict control over the
investigation process and which officials get singled out for investigation),
many observers believe that the present campaign will not peter out as quickly
as previous campaigns did. While last
year’s takedown of Bo Xilai was politically motivated (as is the investigation
that is creeping ever closer to Zhou Yongkang), I disagree with the author’s
belief that the campaign will die out shortly.
No matter what the end goal is, the level of discontent in Chinese
society will make it very difficult for Xi to suddenly put the brakes on the campaign. As some observers have noted, Xi’s use of the
fight against corruption to win back popular support is reminiscent of the
Chinese saying “骑虎难下” – when you ride a tiger, it can be tough to get off. If anything, Xi will focus on continuing the
campaign to assuage public discontent, without losing control of the investigations
and trials. I find it much
more likely that Xi’s corruption campaign will probably continue, and that an escalation of the campaign is more
likely than a reduction.
The end goal
of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is not anti-corruption
Last updated September
5, 2013, GMT 11:35
The true goal of Xi
Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign might not be anti-corruption, but rather to
win back popular support for the Communist Party.
On Thursday (the 5th),
the Financial Times online edition posted a report by Beijing-based
reporter Jamil, arguing that the true purpose of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption
campaign was not anti-corruption. Rather,
it was undertaken to win popular support for the Party, which is in the midst
of a crisis of confidence.
The report opened with
the following line: “Party leaders have warned cadres: the Party cannot
maintain its ruling status given the current crisis of corruption. Thus, they have called for the use of drastic
measures to improve the Party’s ruling methods and fight graft and corruption.”
The author states: This line
could have been written at any time within the past few months regarding Xi
Jinping’s vigorous fight against corruption.
However, it is actually the opening line of a Financial Times article I wrote on September 27, 2004.
That year, along with the
article, the Financial Times issued an
editorial, praising the diligent work of Hu Jintao in fighting corruption,
saying that his diligent work deserved “attention and support”.
More of the Same
Launching a vigorous
anti-corruption campaign is also a core policy of China’s new leader Xi
Jinping. Many observers believe that the
anti-corruption campaign displays Xi Jinping’s dedication to reform.
However, not everyone shares this
view. Many feel that Xi Jinping’s
actions are very similar to those of Hu Jintao, reminding them of the fight
against corruption Hu prominently launched shortly after taking office. At that time, many fully hoped for a “New
government under Hu and Wen”.
This has caused many to worry,
for two main reasons: first, Hu Jintao’s time in office has been called by many
people, even many elites, as “a lost decade”.
In the end, despite Hu and Wen’s promises, they not only failed to solve
many of the problems facing society, but actually made the situation even
worse.
In addition, when Hu and Wen
came to power, and for most of their time in office, China enjoyed soaring economic
growth. They spent most of their time
trying to cool China’s economic growth, up until the global financial crisis.
However, the situation today
is very different from that of when Hu Jintao took office. Last year, China had its lowest growth rate
in thirteen years, and estimates predict that China’s growth will continue to
slow in the next few years.
Since Xi Jinping’s
anti-corruption campaign is nearly identical to that of his predecessor, what
makes him think that he will succeed?
Anti-corruption is not the
goal
The answer is: the end goal of
the anti-corruption campaign is not to punish corrupt officials. Rather, the goal is to make a show of
severely punishing criminals in order to win more support from the masses, which
have begun to doubt the rule of the Communist Party.
If Xi Jinping truly wishes to
root out corruption, he will establish an independent organization responsible
for checking and balancing power, allow the media, which is currently censored,
to freely report officials and corrupt behavior, and give the people a say in
the selection of officials.
But in reality, in the midst
of the anti-corruption campaign, the government has also fiercely criticized
Western democracy, freedom of speech, universal values, and ‘online slander’
that has appeared on the Chinese internet.
The report stated that
recently authorities have arrested and detain hundreds of online dissidents,
who have ridiculed Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, showing that Xi
Jinping is following the traditional methods of Communist party politicians.
The report gave the example of
Jiang Zemin’s arrest of then General Secretary of Beijing, Chen Xitong, in 1990,
and Hu Jintao’s arrest of then General Secretary of Shanghai, Chen Liangyu, in
2006. In each case, the purpose was not
corruption.
Xi Jinping’s present
anti-corruption campaign is not all that different from the actions of Jiang
Zemin and Hu Jintao. The officials taken
down by the anti-corruption campaign are just victims of those in power, who
wish to display their authority and win support from the people.
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