Hunting Ministries for Money 跑部钱进

Hunting Ministries for Money 跑部钱进

“Paobu qianjin” is a common phrase known to every Chinese speaker that means to “run forward.” However, if two characters are tweaked, the phrase takes on a new meaning: local officials running to ministries in search of funding and projects for their constituencies. This type of thing happens in many countries, but has become a problem in China because it often involves corruption, as lower-level officials pay bribes and host banquets to try to get what they want. The“running” is usually done by representatives of liaison offices (Zhujing Ban,or 驻京办) set up in the capital by local-level governments. Premier Li Keqiang said at a recent meeting of the State Council, China’s cabinet, that measures should be taken to end the practice. Indeed, in 2010,the central government ordered many liaison offices not run by provinces to close, but the graft problem persists. Experts say a real solution lies in reforming how budgets are managed and also in decentralizing the power of ministries to approve projects and funding.