Questions have often been raised about the potential corruption in the Chinese government by numerous people both inside and outside of the country, in recent months leading to the shaming and sacking of several high-profile ministers and politicians.
Many pro-government commentators in China have been suggesting that the problem of corruption inside the government is on the rapid decline, but a keen-eyed Chinese blogger has noted that this almost certainly isn’t the case – pointing to numerous pictures in his possession of Chinese ministers sporting luxury watches that they simply couldn’t afford on their government salaries.
We’re not simply talking about watches that cost a few hundred pounds here, but luxury brands including Piaget, Omega, Rolex and Cartier watches adorning the wrists of people who would have to work months to afford them.
One of the most high profile pictures published by the blogger is of Sheng Guangzu, the new railway minister of China. He appears to be wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, worth around £7,000 (more than half of the ministers offical annual wage). In other pictures, the same minister was also spotted wearing Omega and Piaget watches, worth around £10,000 in total. In addition, his deputy (Lu Dongfu) was spotted wearing a similar Rolex, valued at around the £5,000 mark.
The Chinese blogger also publicised pictures of numerous other ministers, wearing watches ranging from £2,000 to more than £10,000.
The blogger, who remains anonymous (going by the alias Huaguoshan Zongshuji), has suggested that these pictures featuring ministers wearing watches way out of their price range give a strong indication that corruption and bribery are still a big part of the Chinese government.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the blogger suggested that the idea for the research came from the recent public backlash over corruption in the rail industry, after a rail disaster in July killed 40 Chinese citizens.
Post by John from Swiss Time Machine, based in London, UK.