China Communist Party Expels Military Firm Executive in War on Graft
A former senior executive at a Chinese state-owned military giant has been expelled from the ruling Communist Party for taking bribes and other “massive” corruption, the top anti-corruption watchdog said on Tuesday.
It was the latest in a series of expulsions and detentions, underscoring a crackdown by China’s leadership on corruption, especially in the military and state-owned enterprise sectors.
An investigation found Zhang Youren, a former chairman of Anhui Military Industry Group, used his position to obtain favours for others and took bribes, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement.
He also engaged in corruption with public goods “on a massive scale”, it added.
Zhang’s pension had also been revoked, the commission added, and his case had been sent to judicial authorities for prosecution.
Huang Xiaohu, the former party secretary and chairman of the company, was expelled from the party in April, also on graft charges.
President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign has ensnared both lowly “flies” as well as high-flying “tigers”, including Jiang Jiemin, the former top regulator of state-owned enterprises for just five months until last September.
Xu Caihou, the retired vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, was expelled from the party last month and will be court-martialled on corruption charges.
Xu Qiliang, a current vice chairman on the Central Military Commission, called for more anti-graft inspections of high-ranking military officials, the official Xinhua news agency said. Xu said inspection teams should focus on problems in personnel selection and promotion, construction projects, real estate and equipment procurement.
“Be adept at spotting problems and make real efforts to punish, save, educate and mould people into shape,” Xu said.
China intensified a crackdown on rampant corruption in the military in the late 1990s, banning the People’s Liberation Army from engaging in business. But the military has been involved in commercial dealings in recent years due to a lack of checks and balances, sources say.
The buying and selling of military positions has also been an open secret, but Chinese media have generally avoided the topic.
In a separate statement, China banned teachers from receiving gifts from students and their parents to curb the buying of favours, often in exchange for giving students special treatment, state media reported.
Teaching staff were prohibited from asking for or receiving presents, money and other valuables such as securities and vouchers from students and parents, the official Xinhua news agency said late on Monday, citing the Education Ministry.
The rules also forbid teachers from attending banquets arranged by parents that may cloud their judgement in exams and evaluations of students.
Reporting by Li Hui, Megha Rajagopalan and Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie and Robert Birsel