Anti-corruption – a never-ending war

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Editor's note: Bai Xianyue is the partner of Grandall Law Firm, and holds a Master of Law from the University of Oxford. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Corruption has been a curse for many countries throughout human history. It's a devil that preys on human weakness and failure of state governance. It is a pandemic that still defies any cure in many parts of the world. Many studies find that corruption is detrimental to economic growth.

In its pursuit of the Chinese Dream, China has to stamp out corruption from its root.

Corruption erodes public trust in the government, undermines public faith in the judicial system and disintegrates the social contract. If not addressed properly, over time, it breeds disdain for law and fuels and perpetuates discontent and violence due to the disillusion of inequalities and impunity.

The Information Office of the State Council issued China's first white paper on corruption titled "China's Efforts to Combat Corruption and Build a Clean Government", December 29, 2010. /VCG Photo

This should be a major cause of concern for China in its constant drive to maintain social stability.

Corruption has a devastating impact on the underprivileged and most vulnerable communities, increasing costs and reducing access to services of health, education, social welfare and justice, depriving disadvantaged groups of equal opportunities. As a result, the divide between the rich and the poor is getting bigger.

According to a report by the World Bank, “Corruption impedes investment, with consequent effects on growth and jobs. Countries capable of confronting corruption use their human and financial resources more efficiently, attract more investment, and grow more rapidly.”

China has been steadfast in its position on fighting against corruption.

Nonetheless, the battle to eradicate corruption has never been an easy battle. Transparency International has consistently ranked China between 70-83 out of around 170 countries in terms of corruption perception index in the past ten years. It raises a red flag that the war on corruption never ends, in spite of the impressive achievements accomplished in the past years.

Success stories of fighting graft in many countries invariably indicate that civil societies, accountability, rule of law are the key to victory in the war against corruption.

Successful anti-corruption efforts should involve the effective collaboration among many sectors and institutions such as the judiciary, government, law enforcement agencies, the private sector, and individual citizens, communities, and civil society organizations.

Yang Xiaodu takes an oath after being elected director of the National Supervisory Commission of China during the National People's Congress and the Chinese Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, March 18, 2018. /VCG Photo‍

An effective campaign against corruption calls for measures that are usually beyond the focus and capabilities of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, or even the judiciary.

Harnessing the energy of communities, civil society organizations and empowering citizens might prove to be a powerful weapon since China has over the years overlooked such an option despite their indispensable roles in anti-graft battle in other countries.

Apart from criminal sanctions as a means of deterrence, there are many other choices such as civil and administrative remedies that can be employed to confront corruption. Communities and civil society organizations are best positioned to establish and promote ethical behaviors, norms and standards needed for sustaining anti-corruption efforts.

They are also critical in helping the government to implement policies and practices that improve results and build public integrity. In addition, rallying the support of such NGOs helps boost the confidence of citizens in the resolve of the government on cracking down on corruption.

Moreover, engaging the private sectors and NGOs helps to increase transparency and enables exposure of corruption activities.

Increasingly, successfully addressing corruption will require the assistance of new technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, the use of the latest advanced technologies to capture, analyze, and share data to prevent, detect, and deter corrupt behavior.

China, relying upon its success in IT technologies, needs to develop programs to analyze and use big data in order to identify and prevent corruption.

The proposition that prosperity and corruption forms a symbiosis is a dangerous and slippery slope which leads to destruction of rule of law, the very bedrock of the architecture of the Chinese Dream.

Rigorous measures have been taken to prevent and combat corruption. In the future, alternative remedies and options might be considered that could be equally effective apart from traditional ways. There is only one way to root out corruption, i.e. zero tolerance.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)