THE POLITICS OF CORRUPTION IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

The Politics of Corruption in Contemporary China

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION3

CORRUPTION AND POLITICS4

ECONOMIC CHANGES, OFFICIAL AND OTHERWISE14

ATTEMPTED REFORMS22

THE STAKES OF FAILURE28

REFERENCES33

The Politics of corruption in contemporary China

Introduction

China's corruption problems have attracted nearly as much attention over the past generation as the economic reforms and rapid growth with which they have become linked. But corruption is nothing new in China, and the post-reform surge of corrupt practices and its growing significance as a political issue have deep roots. Reforms and growth have created new opportunities, and much higher incentives, for illicit connections between wealth and power. But these developments have taken place in the context of -- and in some ways, are at odds with -- traditions, social practices and state-society relationships of very long standing(Gong 2002 pp.85-103). Corrupt activities are a serious concern in themselves, but at another level are just the symptoms of underlying tensions between these old forces and new developments. The regime's response to corruption has not addressed those tensions; important traditions, the basic strategy of economic reform, and the nature of state power all limit its ability and inclination to do so. Today, corruption threatens the vitality and international credibility of the nation's emerging new economy, and is a major issue for critics of the regime, as shown on Tiananmen Square in 1989 and more recently in the petitions of dissident groups. The danger, however, is not just that corruption will continue to distort economic policies and development, or that it is becoming a focus for political discontents for which there are, as yet, few legitimate outlets. It is that corruption itself may spiral out of control, with consequences that are difficult to predict(Hao Johnston 2002 pp. 583-604). 

Corruption and Politics

The issue of corruption among the politicians in the communist party is an issue that China has been fighting throughout the reform years. So why did corruption become so much more common in the years after Mao? Now this is not to say that corruption did not exist prior to the reform period. Corruption also seems to have slightly different meanings between China and the counties of the west. In fact in China the meaning of corruption and what was considered corruption changed periodically(Johnston Hao 1995 pp.80-94).

The different views between China and the west; even itself later on are an important aspect of understanding what corruption is in their culture. The view of corruption during the Mao period had been defined as malpractice, use of position for extort, or accepting bribes, and privilege seeking (Zhong & Hua, 2006: 44-45). After Mao, in the 1980s the meaning of corruption became vague and tried to incorporate too much meaning in a couple words. It was no longer a black and white answer. Even the shades of gray, you could say, were out of focus and blurry.

For instance, a professor of electrical engineering in 1985, assisted an enterprise in the Liaoning province; received his billing for the project and was afterwards arrested for corruption. Yet, in the Guangdong province in the same year an engineer provided a similar ...