China seizes on Olympic fair play
By David Lague (IHT.com)
Updated: 2005-09-30 08:49

In fact, some experts believe the threat of execution is ineffective in many instances in China. They note that very senior officials with powerful patrons are rarely executed for corruption.

A Modle of the the 17,000-seat National Swimming Center, which will resemble a cube of water miraculously suspended in thin air. [newsphoto]

It is difficult to estimate the scope and cost of corruption in China, but senior officials acknowledge that graft is a serious problem in almost all sectors of the economy.

Experts note that opportunities for graft often multiply in countries like China, where the political and economic systems are in transition between planned and market economies.

Similar problems were encountered in Eastern Europe.

In recent years the arrest and imprisonment of senior officials at the top of China's banking and financial system including the former head of the Bank of China in Hong Kong, Liu Jinbao, the former head of the China Construction Bank, Wang Xuebing, and the former chairman of the China Everbright Group, Zhu Xiaohua, suggests that corruption is deeply entrenched at the top levels of government and business. Transparency International last year ranked China 71st out of 146 countries in its annual Corruption Perception index.

However, some experts say they believe that the Chinese authorities have made some progress in curbing graft.

In April, China became the 25th member of a joint ADB/OECD anticorruption grouping that commits governments to work toward eliminating graft. High-profile successes in exposing corruption by China's auditor general, Li Jinhua, have also been cited as evidence of change. And the government has recently drafted tough laws covering government procurement contracts.

"The signs we are seeing are signs pointing in the right direction," said Jak Jabes, director of the governance and regional cooperation division at the Asian Development Bank. "I think you need to give a country a bit of time."

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