后院腐败 (hòuyuàn fubài): Backyard corruption

According to People's Daily, of the 34 ministerial and higher-level government officials under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the violations of the law and Party discipline of at least 21 of them involve their relatives. And half of them have taken advantage of their positions to help the businesses of their relatives. People's Daily has termed this kind of phenomenon "backyard corruption".

Family corruption has become a common feature of recent corruption cases involving government officials. Some officials' family members have started businesses in local areas and made illegal profits by taking advantage of the officials' political influence. Some officials have fallen into the trap of kinship and participated in illegal practices. And some officials have taken bribes through their relatives' business. The relatives of these corrupt officials form chains of corruption.

Officials should strictly discipline their relatives as well as themselves to avoid being led into illegal practices. And the authorities should also strengthen supervision of the relatives of officials. Regulations that government officials should report their personal affairs to the Party should be strengthened, and their relatives' business activities should be supervised and regulated as well.