Ethics Reforms in China

Current news items illustrate a topic of OGE Director Ric Cusick's talk at the most recent IEC meeting: A growing international emphasis on ethics in government. Chinese news stories explain a new tightening of controls on law enforcement and the judiciary and highlight an auditor's discovery of the misuse of $937 million in public funds.

Reuters reports that a web site established this month by China's new National Bureau of Corruption Prevention received so many visitors that it crashed. It is now running again. A Washington Post story provided background information:

The party's senior leaders, including President Hu Jintao, have identified official malfeasance as one of China's most worrisome problems, warning that so many people are becoming alienated that the party's hold on power could be threatened. The problem has become particularly acute as party officials increasingly land on the rich side of the yawning gap between rich and poor.