China’s top graft buster says officials should be made to sweat

Reuters: Chinese officials must become used to routinely “blushing red and sweating” in the country’s fight against corruption, China’s top graft buster said in comments published on Thursday.

President Xi Jinping has presided over a sweeping campaign to stamp out corruption in the ruling Communist Party, from high-level “tigers” to low-level “flies”, and has warned the rot could threaten the party’s future if left unchecked.

At a meeting this month, the party’s graft busting Central Commission for Discipline Inspection pledged to create a national supervisory panel and a corresponding national law, as it moves to reform the oversight system.

In an annual report to the meeting, the commission’s head Wang Qishan said everyone must come to accept being called to account all the time, no matter how stressful.

“Let blushing red and sweating become a normal state,” Wang said, according to a full transcript of the report that had not previously been published.

“Concentrate one’s efforts on strengthening daily supervision and enforcing discipline,” Wang added.

Those found wanting will have to submit written explanations that superiors must sign off on, he said. Inaccurate or deceptive explanations will be “seriously handled,” Wang said, but did not elaborate.

Problems must be discovered early and nipped in the bud, he warned. “Constantly take people to task,” Wang added.