Ethics Newsline®

In other news, new regulations clamp down on Web access, a noted sports entrepreneur swept up in corruption scandal is sentenced to prison, and a province in central China establishes a code of conduct for judges

BEIJING
China, a nation with an exploding economy as well as burgeoning problems with corruption, ethics, and free expression, last week was the focus of a variety of ethics stories:

• China has published a national code of ethics for public officials. The BBC reports that the list is called the “Ten Taboos,” and bans bribery, distributing anything of value in the quest to receive a government job, giving incentives for school admission, and using dirty tricks — such as text messages or Web postings — to harm rivals. According to the BBC, the move comes in advance of a reshuffling in provincial legislatures and reflects the nation’s growing concern with widespread corruption.
• China will add another layer of censorship onto the increasingly freewheeling and politically threatening Internet by restricting video-sharing websites. The London Daily Telegraph reports that new rules, coming into effect at the end of January, will require that all sites where video can be downloaded must not only be licensed, but those licenses will be granted only to state-controlled companies. The Telegraph reports that the new regulations apparently are targeted at the frequent video postings of riots and protests — subjects often covered up by the official media.
• The sports promoter who brought Formula One auto racing to China was sentenced last week to four years in prison for embezzling about $150,000 from a previous enterprise, the Reuters news agency reports. According to prosecutors, Yu Zhifei embezzled the money from a soccer team in order to fund the purchase of his home. He was one of a dozen officials and businessmen swept up in a highly publicized corruption sweep last year.
• Responding to protests over claims of rudeness and officiousness by judges, a Chinese provincial court has imposed a formal code of conduct. UPI reports that the High Court of Hunan Province lists 55 banned behaviors for judges, including drinking before court, swearing, and interrupting lawyers. In addition, the code also lists phrases specifically forbidden.

Sources: Daily Telegraph, Jan. 4 — BBC, Jan. 4 — Reuters, Jan. 3 — UPI, Dec. 18, 2007.

For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Nov. 13, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Nov. 5, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 22, 2007 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 15 2007 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 10, 2007.