On Friday the New York Times reported that a Beijing court handed down a death sentence to Cao Wenzhuang, a former official of the State Food and Drug Administration. Cao was convicted of accepting bribes from two drug companies. The same court also imposed capital punishment on another official of that agency about two months ago for a similar offense.

After noting that Cao’s sentence can be commuted to life in prison, the Times had this to say:

But the death sentences appear to be a strong signal that China is determined to crack down on rampant fraud, corruption, and counterfeiting in the nation’s food and drug industries.

Really? If Beijing were truly determined to eliminate corruption, it would do what virtually every Chinese citizen knows must be done: allow prosecutors to go after officials without political interference and permit judges to decide cases impartially. The Communist party would have to submit to the rule of law as well.

Instead, officials in Beijing go for showy executions and then continue with governance as usual. There have been anti-corruption drives in the People’s Republic since the Three Anti’s campaign of 1951, just two years after Mao Zedong took power. China has never been more corrupt than it is now. Yes, senior officials like to execute their underlings, but let’s not mistake this for anything other than a momentary campaign.

Corruption (and show trials and executions) like this will continue in China as long as the Communist party remains in power. I suspect that, despite appearances, even the New York Times understands this simple reality.