The state-run Chinese media Xinhua News Agency recently published an article criticizing officials for “passing the blame up,” claiming that it would damage the credibility of the Chinese Communist Party and the government. Experts believe that so-called “passing the blame up” and “passing the blame down” have become a common practice in the authoritarian system of the Chinese Communist Party, and a sign of the regime’s decline, rendering the party media’s criticism ineffective.
According to a short video commentary released by Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday, officials have a habit of using their superiors as shields when faced with issues, even when the matters are within their own jurisdiction. This behavior, characterized as “passing the blame up,” is criticized for shifting responsibility with the guise of seeking instructions, reflecting a mentality of shirking responsibility and a form of invisible dereliction of duty in their positions, damaging the credibility of the Chinese Communist Party and the government.
The commentary did not explicitly mention any specific incidents. However, some pro-Beijing media outlets cited comments from netizens in the comment section, suggesting indirect references to certain individuals or events without naming them directly.
Two years ago, a sexual harassment case at Wuhan University’s library resulted in a court ruling that the male student involved did not commit harassment. When asked about the potential revocation or adjustment of the student’s punishment, Wuhan University President Zhang Pingwen stated on July 31st that the school was handling the matter, but the announcement of the outcome would depend on orders from higher authorities. This response stirred controversy.
Gong Xiangsheng, deputy researcher at the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, stated that prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor of Wuhan made similar remarks about delays in controlling the epidemic due to the need to await instructions from higher-ups, which caught the central authorities’ attention. However, frontline officials in China face constraints on when to act independently and when to wait for directives from superiors, leading them to hesitate in times of significant events for fear of repercussions.
He mentioned that in China, superiors usually do not hold subordinates accountable for not serving the people’s interests, but rather for exacerbating matters and causing trouble for their superiors. This dynamic poses the primary challenge to the accountability structure within the Chinese bureaucracy.
Professor Li Youtan from National Chengchi University in Taiwan expressed that such behavior by officials is an inevitable outcome of the Chinese Communist Party’s authoritarian system. Due to the fear of blame, officials opt to avoid unnecessary risks by maintaining a low profile.
Professor Li further elaborated that under the totalitarian system, one individual is responsible for decision-making, and everyone’s promotion is dependent on the leader’s approval. It’s a structure where individuals, including Xi Jinping himself, ascend not necessarily based on merits but rather on their adeptness at navigating the political landscape, often driven by personal connections. Therefore, this political system naturally fosters such logic.
In recent years, official Chinese media have occasionally exposed cases of official negligence. For instance, on May 23 last year, Yang Kening, former vice chairman of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was reported to have exhibited “lazy governance and passivity,” taking to “lying flat.”
It implies that the political system under the Chinese Communist Party is malfunctioning. Elite members of the party have been channeling significant wealth overseas, depleting the national treasury. Consequently, when the economy falters and the higher-ups lack resources to appease lower-level officials, the lower levels opt for a passive stance. The media’s exposure of these issues is futile since they stem from systemic flaws.
Wang He, a Chinese affairs expert, highlighted that there is a heightened level of internal contradictions within various levels of the Chinese Communist Party from the central to local governments. Officials, in a bid to reduce risks, engage not only in “passing the blame up” but more significantly in “passing the blame down,” signaling a crisis point for the Party.
“Chinese Communist Party officials are not accountable to the common people but to their superiors. However, this accountability is not reciprocal, leading officials to deflect responsibilities elsewhere. Therefore, the Chinese Communist Party is filled with irresponsibility and evasion tactics,” he remarked.