Party’s new code of ethics to stop river of corruption

The new guidelines appear to describe as negative ( "do not do ...") what in reality happens in the positive.  Many of the riots, strikes, sit-ins that occur each day in China actually come from the frustration of the population that sees its leaders and members of the Party fatten at the public expense, seizing land for its own projects, provision and helping children to become industry manager, by providing precise percentages in bribes for contracts (10 to 25%), using public funds to private investment funds accumulated by illegally exporting abroad. The new ethical guide reveals that from 1978 to 2003 about 4 thousand corrupt government officials have fled abroad with at least 50 billion U.S. dollars. According to analysts, the endemic corruption of politicians and entrepreneurs (titles that often coincide), "costs" the equivalent of 3% of gross domestic product annually.

The Central Committee praised the new ethics guide as "an important rules of the Party." But according to analysts and dissidents, the problem lies here: the investigation on Party corruption is itself corrupt.  "It's like a patient trying to heal himself," said an activist for human rights.  

In the past, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao warned Party leaders that corruption is likely to be the battle ground for the very survival of the party. Until two years ago the introduction of internal democracy for party posts, so as to prevent the rise to power of corrupt members, was being discussed. But the discussion stalled and the latest promotions were all the "princes", the sons of prominent persons of the party.  

A witness to the futility of these ethical codes is the data (offered by the Supreme Court of Beijing). According to the latest available data, in 2006, out of 33 thousand officially reported cases of corruption, only 1600 officers were arrested and more than 80% of those criminally convicted avoided sanctions. Although officials are banned from having any economic interest in coal mines (as the new code reaffirms) in 2006 about 95% of officials involved in the ownership of collapsed mines were acquitted. In 2005, 110 thousand officials were punished, but most only with disciplinary action.