by Yin Xiuqi

The collapse of an unfinished residential building in Shanghai has called into question the role of local officials and their relationships with the property developer.

An editorial in the Beijing News said the suspicion was not groundless, because initial investigative reports indicate that some local officials own shares in the real estate development company that was constructing the building.

The editorial said some netizens posted the names of the officials online, who were allegedly involved with the troubled property developer. Other news reports indicated that many local land officials appeared on the list. Meanwhile, editorials in some other newspapers said a low-ranking local official was the second largest shareholder of the property development company.

If the government confirms the information in these reports, the collapse of the 13-story building would be yet another instance of collusion between local government officials and property developers, according to the Beijing News editorial. It also noted that eight prefecture-level officials were found guilty of illegal involvement in a real estate scandal last year in Chongqing municipality in southwest China.

The editorial went on to point the finger at corrupt officials for many problems in China's property market. It suspects that those involved in the collapsed building in Shanghai are part of a larger chain of crooked local officials and property developers. It says that such property developers may have received illegal assistance from government officials in obtaining building plots, applying for bank loans and passing quality inspections.

The editorial noted that this situation would continue to affect the quality and safety of buildings in the future. As a result, Chinese citizens would have to pay a high price for the actions of corrupt officials and property developers, it said.

The editorial urged the government to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring the corrupt officials to justice if they are convicted. It says the government must root out official corruption in the property market and safeguard the well-being of common citizens.