Wu Guangqiang

ON Feb. 9, at a provincial work meeting, Wang Yang, Guangdong’s Party chief, called on law-enforcement authorities across the province to crack down on crime to maintain market order and a sound environment for the market economy.

While some Internet media used the term “dahei” (crackdown on Mafia-like gangs or organized crime) when covering the news, no official newspaper mentioned it. Instead, the objectives of this new campaign are summed up as: crackdown on the monopolizing of the market by illegal means, stamping out counterfeiting and commercial bribery, and forging a social credit system and a market supervision and regulation system.

“As the province is in a critical time in transforming and upgrading its economy amid the complicated domestic and global economic situation, it is a pressing task to create a favorable market environment and maintain market order,” Wang told the meeting.

Organized crime has long been disrupting commerce and order throughout the province. This is a long-awaited act of justice.

Shenzhen is no exception. I am a Shenzhen citizen, but I do not do business, so I am unlikely to be victimized by gangsters. But my belief that organized crime is active in Shenzhen is substantiated by regular media reports of criminal acts such as extortion, racketeering, intimidation and looting, many of which are committed in broad daylight!

The sight on TV of small vendors or shop owners being driven out of their little stalls or having their shops smashed by gangsters who try to monopolize the market or to collect “protection money” makes me furious. My rage turns into despair when I see the victims get no help and the perpetrators remain at large.

What’s going on? The mystery may have been partly solved by the story that appeared in Shenzhen’s papers last week.

Liu Shaoxiong, head of Shajing Subdistrict Office in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, was taken for questioning by police on Feb. 7 and removed from his post due to suspected connection with organized crime. After his arrest, police raided hotels, nightclubs and other properties owned and operated by mafia-like gangs led by Chen Yaodong, known as Brother Dragon. Liu has been suspected of serving as a “protective umbrella” for Chen.

Chen’s “rags to riches” story is startling. After currying favor with Liu, Chen, who started out in scrap recycling, struck it rich almost overnight. He grabbed a lot of communal land cheaply and almost monopolized the local property market — including constructing many illegal buildings. He also ran gambling houses.

Though Liu and Chen are still under investigation and more inside stories are yet unfolding, some previous reports may reveal the nature and degree of organized crime in Shenzhen, particularly in the outskirts and urban villages.

In December 2009, the 39-year-old Jiang Zhaonan, a Shajing local millionaire, was shot dead in the street. He was said to have been killed by a business rival, but his family insisted that there was a mastermind behind the scene. Such murders and assaults have been frequently reported, leaving an impression that our city is not safe.

According to some small businessmen, paying protection fees to mobsters is common practice in Shenzhen. Many of the mobsters have connections with local officials. Some grass-roots government departments have gone so far as to rely on the gangsters to “keep order.”

That peddlers and store owners resign themselves to depending on criminals signifies the inadequacy of law enforcement and lack of market fairness. Organized crime must be cracked down upon without delay or mercy.

(The author is an English tutor and a freelance writer. He can be reached at jw368@163.com.)