China's graft crackdown

The municipal congress of Beijing added a pointed postscript to the central government's strong anti-corruption message (Friday) by stripping former Beijing party secretary Chen Xitong of his membership of the city parliament. The action was taken one day after he was expelled from the party politburo, tainted by widespread talk of corruption.

There is no indication that Mr. Chen will be put on trial but it would not surprise anyone in China, or elsewhere if he were to end up in the dock.

Mr. Chen resigned as chief of Beijing's Communist Party in April, in the wake of a string of corruption scandals which rocked the Chinese capital in the early months of this year.

While there has been no suggestion that he was corrupt, or in any way personally involved in any of the scandals, it is suspected that he, at least, tipped off his close aide and former vice mayor, Wang Baosen, that a high-level and secret investigation was under way.

Wang's suicide on April 4 made it very difficult for the party leadership to explain away the incident without doing something more positive.

The 38th group army of the Beijing military region was placed on standby alert in April when Mr. Chen made what was described at the time as "neither a graceful exit, nor a voluntary one" from his post as Beijing's Communist Party chief. The military alert was a tacit admission of Mr. Chen's power and an apparent attempt to forestall retaliatory action.

China has its own way of doing things and it is obvious that there is still a high regard for Mr. Chen's achievements in the reconstruction of the Chinese capital, as well as his contributions to both the party and to China during the revolution.

Anyone who wishes China well will applaud the continuing crackdown on corruption. It is clear that this cancer has reached the highest echelons of power in the country. Unchecked, this insidious disease will destroy not only the ruling party but the whole country as well, taking Hong Kong with it.

The punitive action that has been taken against Mr. Chen is a welcome indication of China's determination to fight corruption. An administration that is manifestly free of graft, especially in the capital, will go a long way toward instilling confidence in Hong Kong people about their future.

-- Hongkong Standard