Corruption and the Anti-corruption Struggle in China – Fighting Windmills

Corruption in present-day China is worse than ever before. Widespread corruption is a major obstacle to the Party’s goal of creating a harmonious society and a “clean” government. The collusion between officials and businessmen, the exchange of power for money, the abuse of administrative power, local governments’ misappropriation of peasants’ land, collecting charges at random in rural areas, soaring housing, education and medical-care costs have all aroused public discontent. More high-level officials and younger officials are involved in corruption. Commercial bribery is the focus of the anti-corruption struggle. Conquering corruption calls for real reforms to be made, but as long as the Party refuses to permit an independent anti-corruption organ and judicial institutions to be established and refuses to tolerate critical media, corruption will remain rampant. The CCP is on the horns of a dilemma: it has to fight corruption to achieve its goals, but a triumph in this struggle requires reforms to be made that might endanger the Party’s absolute power.