Chinese companies among top in global bribery index

Chinese companies come in second only to Russian firms in the frequency of bribery practices, according to the latest survey by the Berlin-based non-governmental organization Transparency International, the Wall Street Journal reported. The NGO, which surveyed businesspeople in China and 28 other large economies, ranked the country a 6.5 on its ten-point scale. A zero indicates constant bribery, while 10 suggests no graft at all. Only Russia ranked more corrupt on the index, coming in at 6.1. China’s top leaders have consistently made calls to clamp down on corruption, which many view as a corrosive threat to the Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy. Transparency International hailed the country’s willingness to crack down on graft, but noted that the drive “also requires sufficient enforcement processes and resources, international cooperation and, moreover, the continued willingness of the authorities to treat this issue as an important priority.”