China's corruption ranking tumbles despite high-profile graft crackdown
Both Hong Kong and the mainland lost ground in Transparency International ranking, falling to 17th and 100th place respectively
Hong Kong and the mainland both fell in a global corruption ranking, with China among the countries faring the worst despite President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign.
This year's corruption perception index from Berlin-based Transparency International saw Hong Kong slip from 15th to 17th, scoring 74 out of 100, down one point from 2013.
Denmark ranked number one for the least corrupt jurisdiction in the world with a score of 92 out of 100. The country has scored near the top since the index was established in 1995.
Somalia and North Korea ranked lowest, both scoring eight.
Mainland China's rank fell from 80th in 2013 to 100th this year, scoring 36 out of 100, a four-point drop. Turkey was the worst performer, dropping five points.
The watchdog's Asia-Pacific director Srirak Plipat described China's tumble in the index as a "harsh reality check".
Beijing's efforts to stamp out corruption would be hamstrung unless policies such as anti-bribery laws, better whistle-blower protections and freedom of the press were introduced, he said.
"This score sends a message that there are a number of critical challenges that have not been solved," Plipat said, suggesting that politicians declare their assets before and after they complete their terms.
Another missing ingredient in Xi's "top down" approach to stamping out corruption was "bottom-up accountability", which would allow lower-ranking officials to report any abuse of power by those above them.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the ranking was out of kilter with the government's achievements in fighting graft, and that the group "ought to conscientiously examine the objectiveness and fairness of the index".
Zhu Lijia, a professor of public policy at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the index measured perceived levels of graft, so the downfall of "many tigers" this year would have led to an increase in the perception of graft on the mainland.
Hong Kong, which tied in 17th position with the United States, Ireland and Barbados, has dropped in the rankings for the past four years.
"It sends a message that it has not improved," Plipat said, pointing to the high-profile corruption trial involving Hong Kong's former chief secretary Rafael Hui Si-yan and two tycoons from Sun Hung Kai Properties.
"Big-profile cases like this can only happen when there is a weakness in public-sector integrity," Plipat said. Hong Kong's drop "also shows the level of secrecy in banking systems" and "raises the issue of a lack of public registries of company ownership".
Still, Hong Kong's rank was commendable, he said. "Putting it into perspective and comparing it to the rest of the world, Hong Kong still scores very high and is in the top 20."
After Denmark, New Zealand and Finland rounded out the top three countries seen to be least corrupt.
More than two-thirds of the 175 countries included in the index scored less than 50. The index is based on a combined assessment of 12 surveys that weigh up expert opinions of corruption in the public sector.
WHO’S CLEANEST
Denmark (tied 1)
New Zealand (tied 1)
Finland (tied 3)
Sweden (tied 3)
Norway (tied 5 with Singapore)
Hong Kong (15)
Mainland China (80)
South Sudan (173)
Afghanistan (tied last)
Sudan (174)
Somalia (tied last )
North Korea (tied last)
