The level of graft and corruption in China just makes you wonder who took a cut on the power station deal

Published: March 30, 2014 at 9:33am

China assets

Reuters reports today with an exclusive story on a corruption investigation in China.

A potent mix of extreme corruption and extreme political retribution – what a fantastic scenario for the Maltese government to get involved with and beyond that, to identify with.

Imagine that – the family of a former senior public official with $14.5 billion in assets, and nobody does anything about it until that former senior public official opposes something the Chinese communist dictatorship does.

Reuters:

Chinese authorities have seized assets worth at least 90 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) from family members and associates of retired domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is at the centre of China’s biggest corruption scandal in more than six decades, two sources said.

More than 300 of Zhou’s relatives, political allies, proteges and staff have also been taken into custody or questioned in the past four months, the sources, who have been briefed on the investigation, told Reuters.

The sheer size of the asset seizures and the scale of the investigations into the people around Zhou – both unreported until now – make the corruption probe unprecedented in modern China and would appear to show that President Xi Jinping is tackling graft at the highest levels.

But it may also be driven partly by political payback after Zhou angered leaders such as Xi by opposing the ouster of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai, who was jailed for life in September for corruption and abuse of power.




10 Comments Comment

  1. Makjavel says:

    It is impossible to do business in Communist China without getting entangled in their corruption cobweb.

  2. Joe Micallef says:

    Oh so Henley and Something are planning a forum in Malta between May 28-29. Might be a good opportunity for many Maltese to let them know what we think of them!

    Also for all those who still have not understood what the 12 month residency in Malta means. Henley expalin it as

    “Additionally, you need to acquire a residence card first, which you need to hold for one year before citizenship is granted.”

    http://www.nestmann.com/an-interview-with-chris-kalin

  3. Joe Fenech says:

    However…do you think the Maltese police would ever investigate the Malta Labour Party or their associates? There you have it: Malta’s worse than China!

  4. Anthony says:

    It’s a real pity those three hundred got nicked.

    We could have sold each one of them a passport.

    They certainly can afford one.

    Moreover, they need one, …. now.

  5. pablo says:

    I recall an Egyptian Diplomat who had been stationed in Beijing thirty years ago and who had struck up a liaison with the daughter of one of the Communist Party hacks describing to me that every week there was a flight from HK with the latest American films, brand name booze, clothing and other specials for the ruling class. I cannot swear that he had used the word “phenomenal” but that was his drift.

  6. Matthew S says:

    It’s good to remember why students in Taiwan are protesting and opposing the government’s trade deal with China.

    On the face of it, the deal looks good for business but the students feel that President Ma is a Chinese stooge, Chinese business will destroy Taiwanese competitors through unfair means, freedom of speech will be endangered and Chinese businesses will just import workers from the mainland.

    We could learn a lot from the Taiwanese.

    Here’s an update of the situation in Taiwan uploaded just five hours ago:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-30/taiwan-students-to-march-today-as-ma-fails-to-soothe-opposition.html

  7. Gaetano Pace says:

    This is the Chinese diplomatic way of bidding opponents farewell. Dishonour the opponent and debase him to the lowest levels of humiliation. No wonder China does not want to know anything about human rights.

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