China's anti-graft body to probe corruption in BRI projects
The Hindu
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative under which China doled out billions of dollars of investments will for the first time come under the scanner of the country’s anti-graft body amid allegations of corruption
President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative under which China doled out billions of dollars of investments will for the first time come under the scanner of the country’s anti-graft body amid allegations of corruption and the projects turning into debt traps for small and medium countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Fighting corruption related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be among the priorities for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s work report for 2024 (CCDI), the ruling Communist Party of China’s (CPC) powerful anti-graft body, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.
Also read | The BRI at 10, some hits, many misses
The CCDI report released on Sunday stressed the need to eradicate the breeding grounds for corruption, deepen the system reforms and strengthen the institutions for discipline inspection and supervision, and enhance the organisational development of Party discipline inspection commissions and supervision agencies, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The report, which was released after it was submitted two months ago by CCDI chief Li Xi, said the organisation would this year coordinate crackdowns both at home and overseas, according to the SCMP.
The report said the graft buster would deepen a campaign targeting “unhealthy practices and corruption” in rural revitalisation, and seek better integrity in belt and road projects.
The trillion-dollar trade and infrastructure BRI and the rural revitalisation strategy are both signature policies of President Xi who launched it in 2013 to further China’s global influence. It also made him an influential leader of the world.
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