Hunting China’s ‘tigers and flies’

More than 370 members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are attending a four-day meeting that includes discussing the broadening of economic reforms and firming up the rule of law.

China is governed by the Communist Party’s seven-member Standing Committee headed by Xi Jinping.

When he became president last year, Xi became head of the party and military, unlike his predecessor, Hu Jintao, who became head of the military only two years into power.

Xi has adopted a sweeping anti-graft policy, stating that he would target what he described as tigers and flies, meaning both high and low-level officials.

In the first half of this year, the party punished about 84,000 members for infractions of discipline, a 30-percent increase compared to the same period last year. Penalties ranged from demotions to ejection from the party.

But is Xi reining in graft? Or is it more about settling scores with his political rivals?

Presenter: Fauziah Ibrahim

Guests:

Gordon Chang – author of The Coming Collapse of China.

Xie Tao – political science professor at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

David Schlesinger – independent consultant on China and former editor-in-chief of Reuters China.