Dongguan vice crackdown just the start
Sonny Lo says local governments should brace themselves for a protracted crackdown on vice and corruption directed by Beijing, in a big-picture effort to clean up the country's image
The high-profile anti-prostitution campaign and arrest of sex workers in Dongguan has highlighted the intertwined relationship between the central and local governments in crime control while illustrating how Beijing is tackling the proliferation of vice establishments.
First and foremost, once CCTV aired a programme on Sunday that uncovered the seriousness of the prostitution problem in Dongguan, the provincial leadership in Guangdong came under tremendous pressure from the top to act. Some said Guangdong party secretary Hu Chunhua was pressured to immediately deal with the prostitution industry. Another explanation was that he had to show some consistency in dealing with crime, given the recent crackdown on drugs in Lufeng.
Whatever one's interpretation of Hu's reaction, it is clear that Beijing used its official mouthpiece, CCTV, to highlight the vice industry in Dongguan and push provincial leaders to clean up the mess.
We should also examine the media criticism that targeted the "protective umbrella" in Dongguan, implying that local police were responsible for the situation. Notably, the media also reported on the involvement of a member of the National People's Congress, as the owner of a five-star hotel accused of offering sex services.
This anti-prostitution campaign clearly originated from the central government.
Some internet users complained on mainland blogs that the campaign was unfair to the sex workers, whose faces were not covered in the CCTV coverage and reports. They contended that sex workers should also have rights - an interesting argument that is rarely talked about in the mainstream mainland media. The complaints also revealed netizens' cynicism about how the prostitutes were portrayed by official media.
Of course, in Dongguan, the importance of the tourism industry has led to local tolerance of vice establishments, thus creating a vicious cycle that perpetuates the prostitution business. Fierce competition among Dongguan's hotels, including five-star establishments, has led many to set up saunas, massage parlours and nightclubs to attract customers.