Beijing, 15 December, 2006 — A high profile seminar was convened in Beijing for sharing experiences on fighting corruption in construction sector, and appreciating the existing body of knowledge and legal framework in China for SOE governance

Transparency International (TI) has co-hosted a seminar in Tsinghua University, Beijing together with China Supervision Institution (CSI), Anti-Corruption and Governance Research Centre (ACGRC) and Engineering Management Research Institute (EMRI) in Tsinghua University, on 14 December, on Integrity Pact and Business Principles: Fighting Corruption in the Construction Sector. The seminar was designed for assessing the relevance of TI tools to curb bribery in the construction sector and sharing best practices between TI and China. The seminar was participated by 34 experts, scholars and representatives from SOEs, public sector and civil society in China, among them are: China Construction Engineering Corporation, China Railway Construction Corporation, China Petrochemical Corporation; Beijing Urban Construction Group, Shanghai Construction Engineering Group; International Tendering Ltd. of Three Gorges Dam, Auditing and Supervision Department of Beijing Olympic Game Organization Committee, China Association of Construction Engineers, Fanhua Construction Ltd., Beijing City Development Law Firm, Supervision Department of Sichuan Province and of Suzhou Municipal Government, CSAS and SASAC, as well as Xinhua News Agency. Representatives from UK Embassy, German Embassy, World Bank and Asian Development Bank offices in China also attended the seminar.

This seminar is the first phase of a project promoted by TI in China, entitled: Promoting Transparent Procurement and strengthening Corporate Responsibility, funded by the FCO programme of UK Embassy in Beijing. The project is aimed at increasing public awareness of the importance of good corporate governance and of the role of business in curbing corruption in the construction sector; improving the corporate governance system in SOEs in construction sector, in light of the best practice in the anti-corruption moment.

Director of the International Department of CSAS, Mr. Wang Yongjun said that China was in a critical transition period when the economy was undergoing a rapid development and the infrastructure investment was huge, fighting corruption in the construction sector remained a Hercules job. CSAS appreciates the cooperation with TI and is open to adopt innovative and effective tools to fight against corruption. Neill Stanbury, TI’s Project Director for Construction and Engineering, said that China could learn from the best practices from the international anti corruption movement and the international anti-corruption movement would also benefit from many of China’s successful experiences and experiments.