BEIJING - The employment of retired government officials as independent directors has become a trend among China's listed companies, but a target of criticism among the public.

The issue did not come under the spotlight until Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd announced the appointment of three former senior officials as its independent directors this July. They were promised annual pay of 180,000 yuan (about $29,000).

The three officials, including the governor of East China's coastal Shandong province and the deputy head of the State Taxation Administration, resigned amid public and media queries on August 14, 20 days after their appointment.

The public was worried about possible corruption and unfair market competition due to the influence of the former officials.

Xinhua reporters found that currently seven of 48 independent directors at the top 10 A-share companies by market value are retired senior officials.

Former officials who are now independent directors, or outside directors, are also common among central government-administered state-owned enterprises. For example, Liu Hongru, former deputy governor of China's central bank, holds an independent director post at PetroChina.

Statistics from the financial information server 10jqka.com.cn show that there are about 5,760 independent directors employed in companies listed on China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, among whom 2,590, or 44.9 percent, have political backgrounds, according to a Monday report in the China Youth Daily.

They had mainly worked in government departments related to auditing, taxation, finance, law and human resources, according to the report.

More than 30 of them were retired officials at the ministerial level, and more than 100 used to be mayors. More than 720 had assumed posts equivalent to head of a county, the report said.

Independent directors not "independent"

The independent director system was introduced by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in 2001 to restrict the power of major company shareholders.

"The system is aimed at constraining the power of management and better protecting the interests of minority shareholders. But its role has not been fulfilled well as China's listed companies are usually controlled by a single majority shareholder," said Liu Jipeng, director of the capital research center at the China University of Political Science and Law.

By convention, to become an independent director, one should first be examined for qualifications for the post and then be nominated by the company and voted in at the stockholders' meeting, said Liu Guohua, head of the Guangzhou-based Benben Law Firm.

However, most independent directors in China are in fact recommended by the largest shareholder, which cannot ensure the independence of independent directors.