Chinese government workers have a lot to fear these days. Local governments short of money find it difficult to pay their wages. Political controls are tightened in the name of national security. Several years an anti-corruption purge shows no end sign.
Now, workers must also make sure not to be slapped with a “snail price” – a designation that more localities take place to shame their least efficient employees.
“Thanks to this sarcastic” encouragement “, the winners can blush and sweat and refresh their minds,” reads A comment on a website affiliated with the Communist PartyNoting that they had injured the party and the credibility of the government by “managing”.
Perhaps more than ever, the Chinese government cannot afford to make its officials relax. While economic growth slows down, it needs leaders to introduce new projects, attract investors and inspire ordinary people – in essence, release the dynamism that has fueled the rise of China.
But many civil servants seem not motivated, if not outright afraid of acting. Under the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, the State has suppressed various sectors, from Internet companies to private companies to finance. It has become impossible to guess what could be next online. Any policy that deviates from that of the central government could be considered politically unfair.
While officials have contributed once to claim flashy infrastructure projects, officials have been more recently punished for collecting funds or advanced construction projects without authorization. The safest route, it seems, is to do nothing.
Until this is not the case. In the middle of the gust of calls to civil servants to intensify, at least three cities have awarded snail awards, According to People’s DailyThe official oral tip of the party. Video clips on Chinese social networksTaken from a television program managed by the State in Sichuan province, show Stony Faced Men in costume being given in supervised certificates.
It is one of the softer punishment. An urban district of the Guangdong province said that it had created a database to follow the officials who, according to them, were “flat” – the Chinese slang to relax. Other places have boasted of reassignment or dismiss employees.
The central commission for the inspection of the discipline, the internal anti-corruption body of the party, said last month that He punished 138,000 officials In 2024 for offenses, including “irresponsibility”, “inaction” or “pretending to work”. It was more than double the number the previous year, and by far the category with the most punished people. The second most common offense, giving or not receiving gifts, had half as many culprits.
“Taking difficult measures to cope with the elongated flat frames ” is in fact to protect the enthusiasm and the initiative of those who do things and are enterprising,” said the anti-graf body in a recent article.
Trying to frighten the officials already frightened in action, of course, is perhaps not a recipe for success. The central authorities therefore also tried to give a more reassuring tone. On Monday, Mr. Xi met some of the best entrepreneurs in the country, which many observers considered as a signal of a renewed embrace of the private sector. This could push local governments to be more willing to collaborate with them.
In December, two main commissions that oversee investments in public companies undertook to “reasonably tolerate the risks of normal investment”. If a project did not meet expectations, those responsible could be exempt from punishment, The commissions said.
Officials also suggested that party members can have a second chance. An official of the Sichuan province who led unauthorized funds to a public toilet construction project was disturbed with just a warning, the The local disciplinary committee saidBecause he had not sought a personal gain.
But it is unlikely that local officials be convinced, because the global trend towards stricter political controls is clear, said Dongshu LiuChinese policy professor at the University of the City of Hong Kong. Even if Beijing encourages those responsible to be proactive now, the space to do so is limited. “They want you to work hard, but they want you to work hard on central orders,” said Professor Liu.
Indeed, addressing the disciplinary committee last month, Mr. XI doubled his calls for political purges, Exhort civil servants “Do not give a single step” in reducing corruption and other bad behaviors.
Even if Beijing can convince lower level officials that it is politically sure to take risks again, these officials may have other reasons not to do so. Some local governments could not have paid their workers. The most low -level civil servants must also face increasing workloads, often involving frequent verifications in person on residents and businesses, while Mr. Xi pushes to the state to increase his presence in daily life .
And yet, the record number of young Chinese people always contributes to the posts of the public service. This may seem surprising, given the pressures of the work. But the underlying reason can be the same as the reason why the government is so eager to put civil servants to action: the low economy. For all their drawbacks, public service jobs are considered stable.
“Yes, being a civil servant is not as good as it is 10 years ago,” said Professor Liu. “But other choices are even worse.”
Siyi Zhao contributed research.
