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The result of a search for “1.18 million naked officials” on sina.com.cn. The message says: “Due to legal regulations and policies, the search result cannot be displayed.” (The Epoch Times)
A news piece mentioning “naked officials” in China has been removed from the state mouthpiece’s website People’s Daily as well as the country’s largest networking site QQ, while a keyword search on the Sina Weibo microblogging platform currently yields zero results.
The term “naked official” refers to a government official whose wife and children have emigrated to foreign countries, often taking large amounts of accrued wealth with them. This situation is one of the signs of severe corruption in the ranks of the Chinese Communist Party.
Currently there are 1.18 million such officials in China, including leaders in the executive body and at state enterprises, and in local governments, according to a report by Beijing Evening News on Feb. 26.
In the report, professor Zhu Lijia at the Chinese Academy of Governance said that “naked officials” would not be permitted in democratic nations. “In other countries, a candidate running for public office must declare information about his family members. He would not be allowed to campaign for a government position if his spouse lives overseas.”
“These so-called public servants greatly increase the possibility of damage to state properties and resources. Once these people get a hold of public rights, they inflict great losses and are a potential danger to the country,” Zhu added.
Zhu called on Party officials and leaders to disclose their family circumstances, saying that those whose family members hold foreign residency or citizenship should not be allowed to assume government positions.
However, shortly after the report was published, it was apparently just as quickly removed by censors, as it can no longer be found online.
A search for “1.18 million naked officials” on sina.com.cn, produced the following message: “Due to legal regulations and policies, the search result cannot be displayed.”
Translated by Hsin-Yi Lin. Written in English by Cassie Ryan.
Read the original Chinese article.
chinareports@epochtimes.com
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