China Raises Salaries of Civil Servants in an Effort to Combat Corruption

Critics have long said that low pay is one of the main reasons why corruption is so ramnant among Chinese civil servants. In an effort to combat it the Chinese governent is raising the pay of the aforementioned civil servants, starting from the very top - with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The President and six other top Communist Party officials have been given a 62% pay rise, according to state-run media reports.

Mr Xi's basic monthly salary will increase to 11,385 yuan ($1,832; £1,209) from 7,020 yuan, the China Daily and Wen Wei Po newspapers said.
Civil servants will also be receiving their first wage increases since 2006, which will be backdated to 1 October.
The move comes amid efforts to combat corruption and increase productivity.
The lowest-ranked civil servants will see their pay more than double to 1,320 yuan or about $212, documents from China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security reportedly showed.
Mr Xi and six members of the Communist Party's elite Politburo Standing Committee will see the highest salary increase given their position and duties.
However, Mr Xi's new salary of about $22,000 a year will still be far less than that of his peers. US president Barack Obama, for example, earns a base salary of $400,000 a year.
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