Among the many causes of the rampant corruption in Shanxi, one of the most important is power's decisive and unbridled role in allocating the province's rich coal-mining resources. To hit the root, what is needed is granting the market a bigger say in the allocation of resources and preventing power from seeking illegal gains. That applies to Shanxi and all other regions with natural resources.
Beijing Times, Aug 31
Shanxi used to pursue "bloody GDP" through extensive exploitation of natural resources such as coal, in this process a quite large number of senior officials derived ample profits and formed tight interest groups to maintain their source of illegal money. It is time to remove the interest groups and propel economic transition in the province.
sina.com, Aug 30
Many fear the investigation into nearly one-third of the top officials of a province might affect its economic development and political stability, but the central leadership has shown it can withstand the pressure and will continue the anti-graft campaign. The central leadership is clear that a clean government is the ultimate guarantee of stability and development, and there is no forbidden zone in the fight against corruption.
Ta Kung Pao newspaper, Aug 29
The hunting down of seven "big tigers" in Shanxi might be a success of the anti-graft campaign, but it also reflects how rampant corruption is among officials. That requires that the State look deep into the origins of corruption and reform the mechanism that breeds power seeking illegal gains. Only with proper limits on power can corruption be controlled.
Official micro blog account of People's Daily, Aug 31
Reports of corrupt officials have appeared now and then, with some of them being published by the media. Had there been any earlier investigation of them, corruption would not be so rampant and the government would not have lost so much credibility. One problem is that some officials abused their power by claiming reports about their alleged corruption are just "rumors" and striking against those who report them. It is time to grant the media more freedom to better fight graft.
gmw.cn, Sept 1
