Fighting Corruption in China, One Special License Plate at a Time

Reuters — Military license plates (new, left, and old) are changing to cut down on the abuse of privileges. 

By EDWARD WONG, NYT
Published: May 1, 2013

HANGZHOU, China — A photograph in the official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army over the weekend showed a grinning military officer standing proudly in his green uniform, as if he had single-handedly repelled a foreign invasion.

What he had accomplished was getting a new license plate, which he held aloft under a headline that said: “Holding a new license plate, sense of responsibility in heart.”

In their latest attempt at cracking down on corruption, Chinese leaders are taking aim at license plates, specifically those on military vehicles. The military is issuing new plates and generally excluding luxury cars from receiving them. As of Wednesday, all military vehicles were supposed to have the new plates.

(More here.)