China slips down on corruption perception ranking

The Chinese mainland ranked 80th in Transparency International's (TI) corruption perceptions index published on Wednesday, slipping from 75th last year.

Experts agreed the situation has become more serious in China, but many expressed optimism in the new leadership, which has shown resolve in changing the ruling Party's image since the major power transition in November.

The Chinese mainland's ranking is far below the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which is 14th, and Taiwan, which is at 37, according to the Berlin-based group, which made the list based on perceptions from institutions.

Ren Jianming, vice-president of TI-China and also a professor at Tsinghua University, said that the slip reflected the serious and emerging need in China to combat corruption.

However, it does not make much sense to compare one country or region with another, as the purpose of publishing this rank is to make the public and authorities reflect on what they have done in the last year, Ren told the Global Times.

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