I think it is fair to say that there is a consensus in China that corruption is a serious problem within the country. There are three widely different potential ways to address the issue:
- If you are a liberal, the solution is to open up the one-party system, free the press, and depoliticize the judiciary.
- If you are a Maoist, corruption and capitalism are essentially the same phenomenon, so the correct answer is to return to the county’s socialist roots and eliminate inequalities created by the unwarranted growth of the private sector.
- Identify a few handy scapegoats and destroy them in public in order to send the right message to the rank and file.
Naturally, the government has chosen #3. Will it work in the long run? Probably not, particularly since the use of connections is a part of Chinese culture that long predates Communist rule. More likely, it will just drive the problem further underground.