Commentary
Yukon Huang, Isaac B. Kardon, Matt Sheehan
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Corruption and Reform in China
Pervasive corruption is causing increasing unrest in China, and while political transition has sparked hopes for reforms, vested interests pose a daunting challenging.
By Yukon Huang
Published on Nov 8, 2012
Source: BBC World News
China’s leadership transition has caused a burst of optimism among some observers who hope the new generation of leaders will implement political reforms, Huang continued. Analysts in Beijing are speculating whether the state sector and financial sector will be reformed. But vested interests are standing in the way of this reform process. The great irony in China is that these vested interests only arose because the economy was doing so well, Huang said. In a weak and unproductive economy, corruption is not very profitable. But when the economy grows quickly, there is quite a bit to be gained. In China today, the vested interests of state enterprises and party officials are very powerful, he concluded.
About the Author
Yukon Huang
Senior Fellow, Asia Program
Huang is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program where his research focuses on China’s economy and its regional and global impact.
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Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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