Outspoken Chinese state tabloid editor censured for misusing travel funds
The chief editor of the state-run tabloid the Global Times has been reprimanded for breaching Communist Party rules in China by using the newspaper’s funds for personal travel.
Hu Xijin, known for his controversial editorials and bellicose remarks on social media, used official funds to go to Poland without approval, according to a statement from the People’s Daily, which administers the Global Times.
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Hu and his deputy, who were both only referred to by their job titles in the statement, were ordered to pay back 6,417.90 (HK$7,600) yuan and write a self-criticism for the party disciplinary team at the People’s Daily, the statement said.
It confirmed a rumour that circulated online in September that Hu had been punished for changing the schedule of a China-Germany media forum in June 2013, organising guests to travel to Poland for three days, with his newspaper covering the expenses.
The rumours led some internet users to mock Hu, saying he was quick to criticise others but failed to practice what he preached.
The public punishment of Hu formed part of a self-inspection campaign at the People’s Daily which began after it was placed under the scrutiny of an inspection team from the Communist Party’s anti-corruption agency from June to August last year.
The Global Times is well-known for its bellicose and patriotic tone and its news coverage often creates controversy.
It covered the case of the five missing Hong Kong booksellers earlier this month, whose supporters say have been seized by the mainland authorities for stocking works critical of China’s government.
The newspaper said one store in Causeway Bay “is as a matter of fact surviving by creating trouble for the mainland”.
Chief editor Hu said in a speech at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014 that the Global Times was not a state media outlet, but a market-based newspaper.
Chow Po-chung, a professor of public administration at the university, took off his shoes and left the site barefooted in protest after Hu’s remarks.
The People’s Daily, which administers dozens of affiliated publications including the Securities Times, said in the statement that five people in total had been punished for disciplinary offences.
The punishments included sackings and official warnings, the statement said.
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Thirteen staff members who occupied state-owned housing were ordered to move out.
The Shanghai bureau chief of the People’s Daily was sacked and his deputy given a formal warning for occupying oversized offices, the statement said.
The Hubei bureau chief was given a formal warning for buying excessive numbers of company cars and registering four car number plates.
The Securities Times and the Gansu province bureau of the People’s Daily were ordered to take corrective action after they were found to have thrown luxurious banquets at public functions.
