Corruption of middle level leaders

I spoke to an undergraduate from China, who is aware of the social and political issues. He told me that the top leaders in China are generally honest, but there is rampant corruption at the lower levels.

I gave an optimistic prediction. Given time, China will be able to eradicate the corrupt practices, although the task may be daunting. The situation is worse in other countries where the top leaders are greedy for personal wealth and top salaries. They will lose the moral authority to require people at lower levels to behave and act honestly.