China must fight corruption, one city at a time
Winston Mok says systemic reforms that are needed to root out corruption will take time, and Beijing's efforts to strengthen the rule of law - in phases across the mainland - should be encouraged
Although China has embarked on the largest anti-corruption campaign in recent history, its corruption ranking by Transparency International has dropped significantly. At the same time, the World Economic Forum has continued to highlight corruption as a top, and rising, problem for doing business in China.
While the anti-corruption drive seems impressive, it also raises key issues. Why have some of the alleged perpetrators been allowed to go so far for so long? Are the current initiatives sufficiently comprehensive and even-handed? Are they sustainable if driven by a few motivated and capable leaders?
China's leaders well know the limitations of their current efforts. Anti-corruption tsar Wang Qishan noted early in his tenure that he was dealing with the symptoms while buying time to address the root causes of corruption.
Pervasive corruption has sprung from the architecture of the overall system. Thus, reforming the system of governance is the only effective way to control corruption. Systematic reforms, however, will take time. They may gradually unfold with the rule of law, as announced at the party's fourth plenum.
There is no mystery about how to control corruption. The least corrupt countries are those with the best rule of law. The top-ranking nations in Transparency International's index look very similar to those in the World Justice Project's on the rule of law. Asia's leaders of low corruption, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, all enjoy similarly high-ranked rule of law.
In controlling corruption through the rule of law, the key factors are civil justice, regulatory enforcement and constraints on government power. They happen to be among mainland China's weakest areas, according to the World Justice Project.
Decoupling the judicial system from local governments is a key step forward for civil justice. Central circuit courts will be set up; cross-regional courts may be in due course. Judges will become more professional, independent and accountable. All these moves should improve the independence of the judiciary, hitherto seen as the most corrupt part of the mainland state by the World Justice Project.