The Chinese Communist Party’s latest reform effort begins at home.
On Wednesday, the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection announced a new set of regulations, outlining a reform of the residence system through which high-ranking officials were taking further advantage of special perks they already enjoyed as a benefit of their positions.
A Chinese national flag flutters at a construction site for a new residence complex in Beijing. Reuters
The People’s Daily paraded out the same admonitions–along with some others about the public conduct of cadres generally–on its front page the following day, lending even more authority to the initiative.
Historically, Chinese officials have been granted access to government residences and offices while serving, and some have enjoyed the same benefits even after they have retired. As the policy-making bureaucracy has grown over the years, many officials have been housed outside of government compounds, and their workspaces put in special, secured areas. In some instances, local governments have bought up prime real estate to build residential complexes for officials to work and live in the same location. Others who worked in the bureaucracy were granted permission to reside in apartments underwritten by government funds.
But there have been problems.
For example, it is widely known in party circles that some officials were renting their government-financed residences to private tenants and then pocketing the proceeds. These “remote officials” were not only supplementing their salaries by such practices, but also often residing in housing provided by local businessmen, who then sought political favors in exchange for that high-end lodging.
The new rules call for an end to such practices, especially where senior cadres are concerned.
via China Takes Aim at Officials’ Housing Perks – China Real Time Report – WSJ.
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