The upright and the low-down: An examination of official corruption in the United States and the people's Republic of China

Broadly speaking, China and the US differ little with regard to the substantive criminal law regulating official corruption. They are quite alike in their general reluctance to prosecute high officials. Despite fundamental differences in political systems, and a common commitment to equality before the law, those in power are rarely called to task in either country for criminal misconduct associated with discharge of their official duties. There is more than enough written law and more than sufficient institutional apparatus in both countries to deal with political corruption. However, international efforts to control corruption are only as strong as the domestic systems of regulation on which they depend, an endeavor which demands a frank assessment of both the written law and its implementation.