China fails to win over the public with second chances for disgraced officials
Many cadres have been reinstated or promoted after being disciplined as Beijing seeks to motivate, but the idea is proving unpopular
State media reports have portrayed Xie Qin, a 38-year-old township party chief in southwestern Yunnan province, as a positive example of rehabilitation.
But the idea is unpopular among the public, with many taking to social media to express frustration at officials like Xie being given a second chance and even “rewarded” for their misconduct.
Xie was one of dozens of officials who went on a bender during a training session in February 2023 at a party school in Jianchuan county, Dali prefecture.
Details of their misconduct were widely publicised in a video released by the provincial graft-buster aiming to send a warning to others. It said the officials had spent four of the five training days indulging in “unauthorised” drinking and banqueting.