After a lifetime of service to their country, some Chinese officials can’t wait to escape from it.

China’s government officials may be tasked with serving the country, but many are saving up just so they can leave it.

“Naked officials” have come to prominence recently with over 1,000 Guangdong officials reprimanded for having moved their family and assets overseas. However, this doesn’t even scratch the surface. As reported by China Youth Report, Chinese officials have begun forming another demographic that have emigrated overseas to become investors in foreign real estate.

The report is heavily based upon an interview with Wu Guo, a wealthy businessman from Western China who now lives in an upper-class US neighborhood.

Wu’s neighbors and guanxi primarily consist of former Chinese officials who have also emigrated abroad. Wu mentioned an official in his 40s who worked in a railroad department. He decided he had saved enough money a couple of years ago so quit, got himself a fake vacation visa, then took his entire family to America.

These wealthy former Chinese officials primarily invest in real estate, which is common among other groups of Chinese overseas as well.

According to a July report by the US real estate brokers association (NAR), ethnic Chinese purchased $22 billion worth of real estate from April 2013 to March 2014. Chinese buyers were reported to have spent the most at $600,000 each on average. Furthermore, 76 percent of those purchases were made using cash.

An analysis by Yang Ping explains the reasoning behind the tendency to purchase real estate:

My investment may not make a profit, but it will be able to get me a green card.

In 2004 and 2005, Wu noticed a number of Chinese officials emigrating overseas, especially to Beverley Hills and Vancouver. Wu explains how they get away:

(Officials) of lower grade can apply using their own authentic identities. (Officials) with a higher grade will have to apply using a fake identity. Some still receive a salary from (the Chinese government) even after immigrating.

Wu also explains the plight of the “naked official”, and how their position puts them in a compromising position:

The wife and children have already been sent away, and they are getting ready themselves by procuring a green card. However, they are afraid of the risk during their green card application, and so don’t do it.

Once they’ve arrived though, they quickly realize things aren’t the same as they were back in China. Many of them are unable to assimilate into US local society or upper class social circles. Instead, they keep to themselves:

They have money, and so form their own circles. Every day these people eat and drink together, have tea, play mahjong.

But it’s real estate investor Chen Min that categorizes the worst corruption in China as coming from huge bureaucracies, or in distant places beyond the reach of the central government:

(These officials) will come from one of two places: from big cities like Beijing or Shanghai, or from tiny places that you have never heard of.

It comes down to this: A lifetime of toil and moral choices culminates in a decision to escape from the system that made you. Perhaps its for this reason that popular television show Prison Break enjoyed a huge following in China.

Related:

• 1,000 “Naked Officials” Netted in Guangdong Crackdown
• CCTV Accuses Bank of China of Money Laundering, Helping Elite Move Abroad
• “Ultra Rich Asian Girls” To Star In New Canadian Reality Show

[h/t @ChuBailiang]

Photo: gzxw

Twenty-four people were arrested in an underground Taiwanese prostitution ring that recruited women from mainland China, reports News 163. The bust is said to be the largest capture ever of mainland prostitutes on Taiwanese soil.

Suspects arrested in the early morning police raid included 12 mainland women who are suspected of servicing up to 110 clients during their 14 day stay in Taiwan.

One suspect was described as a housewife, and another was described as a 20 year-old, second-year art student from Zhejiang who started prostituting herself to buy luxury items, such as Louis Vuitton handbags.

Police accused Wu Zonghan, 55, and his 28 year-old mainland girlfriend, Peng Yurong, of recruiting mainland Chinese women to fly to Taiwan to engage in prostitution.

The ring had been in operation for approximately one year and involved some 100 mainland women. The women earned about RMB 500,000 in one day, and accumulated a grand total of nearly RMB 100 million.

Related:

• Hong Kong Arrests 23 Mainlanders in Prostitution Raid
• Mainland Prostitutes Rounded Up in Macau
• Shenzhen Sex Trafficking Ring Was Sending Girls to Work in Indonesia
• Foreign Students Earn RMB 2,500 a Night as Prostitutes in Shanghai
• Group of Chinese University Grads Choose Prostitution in Tough Job Market

An investigation by provincial authorities had determined that Guangdong is home to some 2,190 “naked officials”. There were 866 removed from their positions, with a warning that other “naked officials” who avoided punishment will not be considered for promotions.

It is reported many officials were participating in a Hong Kong investment scheme that allowed them to purchase “residency” in distant African countries.

A Chinese language report says those officials who were removed from their posts will be reassigned.

Photo: nanfang

The money laundering is allegedly being done through a money transferring system at the Bank of China called You Huitonghe. Through the system, wealthy Chinese are able to send an unlimited amount of funds overseas after applying for immigrant investor programs.

The total amount involved is unknown, but one Guangdong branch has reportedly sent 6 billion yuan (US$970 million) overseas. By law, a Chinese citizen isn’t allowed to move more than US$50 thousand out of the country per year.

The CCTV report went undercover at an emigration information conference at a five-star hotel in Beijing’s Central Business District. There, an employee from the Shuguang Xili branch of the Bank of China was supposedly caught on video saying:

What we help you do is exchange large sums of money into foreign currency. You can do it all in one step. 

The Bank of China employee was to have brazenly said:

We don’t care where your money comes from, or how you made it. In any situation, we can help you take care of it and move it outside the country.

The Bank of China employee further described the process of laundering the money:

The Renminbi is first transferred to a Guangdong branch, then the currency is exchanged (into another currency). This high exchange rate is accomplished with the cooperation between us and the immigration intermediaries. We won’t tell anyone else. It’s only when the client himself comes asking questions that we’ll finally start talking.

Immigration intermediaries are said to have conspired with the Bank of China in order to obfuscate the source of the funds. An immigration intermediary summed up Bank of China’s role:

If you want to apply in an investor program, you will have to put your money through the Bank of China. To stay over there and prosper, if you have the need, then just go to them directly.

Photo: Planet Minecraft

Well, that escalated quickly:

Called a “luoguan” (裸官) in Chinese, a naked official is a government official who has sent his wife and children to live and study abroad, thus being a man that is “naked” without his family.

Naked officials were told to bring their families home, quit their jobs, or be demoted.

READ: Hundreds of “Naked Officials” Punished in Guangdong

In return, around 200 Guangdong officials have asked their families to return to China, Xinhua reports. Another 866 had agreed to accept demotion, including nine at a mayoral level.

And we can’t stress this enough: being a naked official is not, strictly speaking, in violation of any laws or regulations. Instead, as the BBC reports, China’s communist leaders want to stamp out the practice because they believe it is linked to corruption because naked officials are able to send any money obtained illegally abroad.

READ: Guangdong Official Sacked Over Nude Photos Published by Mistress 

Instead, the problem of naked officials isn’t one of breaking the law, but of public image. Yang Jianwei, vice president of the Guangdong Provincial CPC Party School, told the People’s Daily, “Naked officials are not necessarily problematic officials. But when you are holding a high post in the country alone by yourself, how can you make the people believe that you’ll dedicate all you have to serve them?”

We’re not sure how to solve the problem of a demonstrated lack of faith in leaders they had no influence in selecting, but if the laws aren’t changed to make the practice of being a naked official illegal, then we’d suggest perhaps changing the negative connotations of the word “naked”.

If a 70′s country song can’t do it, then maybe organizing public bicycle rides of a nude nature may change the public’s negative stance towards nakedness.

More stories on things Guangdong officials aren’t able to do:

• No More First Class Flights for Guangdong Officials
• No More Clubbing for Guangzhou Officials
• Guangdong Officials Banned from Using Triad Nomenclature
• In Trying to Clean Up the Environment, Guangdong Cracks Down on Officials
• Guangdong Opens an Anti-Corruption Education Camp for Officials
• Guangdong Officials Asked to Return Their Cheap Social Housing Apartments
• Local Officials Ask to “Borrow” Orphans to Make Themselves Look Good
• Deputy Mayor of Dongguan Under Investigation
• What’s Up with Guangdong’s Dirty Officials? Another Embroiled in a Scandal 

Photo: centurytrek

But before Guangzhou and Shenzhen residents get upset that their already overpopulated cities can’t withstand any more people, relax—this plan specifically excludes these two cities.

Zheng Dong, deputy head of Guangdong’s public security department, explained that each city will set their own standards, but that migrants will not likely be able to reside in Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Zheng said permanent residency would be available to migrants with stable jobs and residences who have paid social security taxes. Among the requirements is that they have lived in Guangdong for at least five years.

The hukou reform looks to attract new residents to populate small and medium-sized cities in the north, west and east of Guangdong.

Peng Peng, a political researcher at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, said:

“They hope companies in the Pearl River Delta will move to the rural areas along with skilled employees who will work there. Measures to attract new arrivals are necessary for these cities.”

However, Peng warned that migrants would only relocate to these smaller cities if there were adequate jobs and social welfare.

Other recent related stories:

• Labor Unrest Grows in Guangdong with Two More High-Profile Protests
• Thousands Strike at Nike, Adidas, Reebok Factory in Dongguan Over Invalid Contracts
• 30,000 Workers Strike in Dongguan, Robots Planned As Replacements
• New Census Data: There Are 5 Million More Men Than Women in Guangdong

Photo: Hexun

Different from the traditional paper booklets, the new e-pass is the size of an ID card. Residents can cross the border in about 10 seconds by pressing one’s finger on a fingerprint scanner. About 30% of the self-serve e-channels have been installed and finished testing, the report said.

The new travel pass (left)

Policies regarding the HK and Macau travel pass still remain the same, and so do the fees. The old paper booklet is eligible for use as long as it it within the expiration date, the report said.

The e-pass for adults is valid for 10 years from the start of the issue day, and for children under age 16, the e-pass is valid for five years. When applying for the new e-pass, applicants have to submit finger print samples. Application for the new travel pass takes seven working days at a local public security immigration office and upgrading the old travel pass to the new version takes 10 working days.

Home page and content page photo credit: Yangcheng Evening News

While we had earlier told you about the economic downturn suffered by hotel industry in Dongguan, it was reported that Dongguan’s contribution to the GDP has actually increased by 7.3 percent in the first quarter of this year to RMB 118.23 billion. I guess there’s nothing to do now but work?

The Guiyang-Guangzhou high-speed railway is scheduled to open at the end of this year. Expected to last a total time of six hours, trial runs on the Zhaoqing-Guangzhou section of the line is scheduled to begin on November 1.

A pilot program to introduce an immigration smart card will be available to Guangdong residents in May. The smart card will embedded with a microchip with the users personal information, and should cut down on processing times.

There’s a popular backlash going on against that one Chinese show that we had such high hopes for, A Bite of China. Netizens have been complaining that the tone of the show has shifted to contain more nationalistic sentiments, and has less to do with telling stories about cuisine than it does about propaganda. As well, this post helpfully points out that the first scene from the first show appears to be a shot-for-shot plagarism of a BBC documentary (see above).

Starting next week, 10 unmarked police cars will be joining the regular fleet of police cars in Shenzhen. Police will still be required to dress in police uniforms, though.

Guangzhou markets will be trying out a pilot program to sell frozen chicken meat. 82 markets and 894 stalls will be taking part in this flirtation with refrigeration.

On April 21, a man man blocked traffic on Baogang Boulevard in Zhuhai District, Guangzhou, and unsuccessfully tried to kidnap a child in broad daylight. Police say they think the suspect is “crazy”, and has scheduled him for testing.

7,301 Guangzhou children compete to win one of the 893 spots available for public kindergarten. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

As US fashion exports decrease by 4.1% in February, Dongguan textile makers are anticipating a slowdown in the oncoming year.

Four parcels of land with a total area of 74,300 square meters in the Qianhai Special Economic Zone in Guangzhou have been sold. The largest of these lots has been purchased by Tencent Holdings, who in turn are now accepting bidders to lease its future office space. Applicants must be listed internet companies that have made revenue of 40 billion yuan for the past year, so start counting your mao’s and fen’s.

Photo: Weibo, iFeng

For the first time, foreigners can be detained for five to 15 days if they’re caught illegally living or working in China.

Illegal migrants can now be fined 5,000 yuan (US$794) to 20,000 yuan and face deportation under the new law. Their employers could be fined up to 100,000 yuan per individual illegal employee.

The new laws also include the creation of a “talent visa.” Overseas candidates with management experience at leading multinationals and top specialists in education and science are eligible to apply.

“Urgently needed” professionals, as stated in the law, will be able to apply for the new talent visa, which grants residency for up to five years, or multiple entries and stays of up to 180 days at a time.

Some 47,100 foreigners were caught violating the immigration law last year. You can increase your chances of avoiding this fate by following the advice in this extremely helpful article.