Reform needed to achieve judicial independence

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has placed the country's former security chief Zhou Yongkang under investigation for suspected "serious disciplinary violations". Zhou is the most powerful official to be investigated for "discipline violation".

The investigation of Zhou indicates the Chinese leadership is determined to tackle the corruption problem from the top to the bottom. Like other developing countries, China is rife with corruption. This high level of corruption has in fact seriously eroded the Chinese public's trust in government officials in recent years, so demonstrating that even the most powerful officials are subject to investigation if they are suspected of corruption is a positive step for the country.

In fact, the Zhou's investigation is only the latest step in a concerted campaign launched by President Xi Jinping to clean up corruption since he took office last year. By the end of June, more than 16,000 officials had been punished according to Party disciplines in the latest "rectification movement", a substantial number of officials at different levels have been dismissed; and 30 or more vice-ministerial level or above officials are under investigation.

However, Zhou's probe also reveals the urgency of systematic reform to fight against corruption. Zhou previously was in charge of the legal and security systems - which are responsible for rooting out corruption.

Of course, not all legal and security officials are corrupt. However, if the allegations against him are substantiated, it would mean that corruption had eroded the systems which are supposed to protect the nation and people against corruption.

The decision to investigate such a former highest-level official indicates that the full rule of law is not yet fully in place in China. Only by pushing ahead with judicial reform will the judiciary independence eventually be achieved.

Nevertheless, the decision to investigate a former official of Zhou's stature demonstrates the clear determination of the new leadership headed by Xi to stamp out government and Party corruption, and the decision was received enthusiastically by the Chinese public, as reflected in the online comments after the news was released.

The author is a Canadian freelance politics commentator.

(China Daily 08/06/2014 page9)