The Chinese Communist party has warned thousands of officials in the city of Hangzhou, home of leading technology companies such as Jack Ma’s Alibaba, to root out any “conflicts of interest” they or their family members may have with local businesses, reported the Financial Times.
The statement was posted online by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party’s corruption watchdog, on Monday, two days after the city’s top party official was detained for “serious violations of discipline”—a phrase that is commonly used by Chinese authorities as a euphemism for corruption.
The watchdog said 25,000 local officials and their family members were the focus of “self-examination and self-correction” reviews focused on their relationships with local businesses, including “illegal borrowing”. This will include probing those who have retired within the past three years.
The CCDI added that Hangzhou officials would be held accountable for the business activities of their relatives, even if they were not personally involved.
