Mainland China not ready for its own ICAC, analysts say

Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption may be seen as a model for other regions and countries to follow as it marks its 40th anniversary.

But it is probably an impossible act for the mainland's anti-graft watchdog to follow, experts say.

"The ICAC succeeded because it is an autonomous investigation unit in a society with judicial independence," said Ren Jianming, a professor of public administration at Beihang University in Beijing. "The mainland first needs to tackle the problems of an excessive concentration of power, and it is highly unlikely its disciplinary watchdogs will copy the ICAC system because of the judiciary's lack of independence or transparency."

The China Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bureau was founded in the late 1980s and placed under prosecution authorities nationwide. Former chief justice Xiao Yang set up the first centre in Guangdong, and received public reports on corruption.

Xiao later wrote in a memoir that he hoped the success of the Hong Kong agency could be duplicated on the mainland.

He wrote that the Guangdong bureau had worked well at first, with many bribery cases being reported.

But some conservatives attacked it for adopting tactics they described as appropriate for Hong Kong, but not suited to the mainland. The nation was split over the prospects for reform, and some believed that drawing inspiration from Hong Kong meant a swing too far towards capitalism.