Shanghai party boss Yu Zhengsheng open to assets scrutiny

Shanghai party chief Yu Zhengsheng laid on the charm yesterday as he made surprisingly candid remarks about an otherwise taboo topic: the disclosure of personal assets for public scrutiny.

Yu, who is widely tipped to ascend to the supreme Politburo Standing Committee next week, said he was willing to reveal his assets because he had nothing to fear.

"It's pretty easy for me to make public my personal assets once the central government decides to move ahead [on the issue]," he said. "Because I haven't actually got much."

Yu spoke yesterday on the sidelines of a week-long Communist Party congress that would usher in a slate of new leaders.

With his response, Yu is one of the most senior mainland officials to openly express willingness to disclose their assets.

His comment is in sharp contrast to the usual evasiveness or clichéd, impersonal answers that most apparatchiks give on this politically sensitive issue.

Beijing has made little headway over the past three decades with "sunshine laws", despite increasing public appeals, that will oblige high-ranking officials to declare their personal assets - a globally accepted measure in tackling corruption at its root.