Xi Jinping's Anti-Corruption Campaign
Xi Jinping launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign through the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, investigating over 1.5 million officials by 2022; critics argue it also eliminated political rivals and centralised power in Xi's hands.
Scale and Mechanism
Xi Jinping launched his anti-corruption campaign days after becoming General Secretary in November 2012, declaring that corruption could "kill the Party and ruin the country." The campaign was conducted through the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which operated outside normal judicial procedures. By 2022, over 4 million officials had been investigated and punished at various levels. High-profile targets included Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, former CMC vice-chairmen Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, and security chief Bo Xilai (already purged).
Tigers and Flies
Xi framed the campaign as targeting both "tigers" (senior officials) and "flies" (lower-level cadres). The investigation of Zhou Yongkang was particularly significant — no Politburo Standing Committee member had ever been criminally prosecuted in PRC history. Zhou received a life sentence in 2015. The campaign fundamentally altered the behaviour of Chinese officials: lavish banquets, expensive gifts, and conspicuous consumption became dangerous. Local government spending on entertainment collapsed.
Critique and Context
While the campaign achieved genuine reductions in petty corruption and official extravagance, critics argued it lacked independent institutional oversight — all targets were chosen by Xi's own CCDI. The absence of asset disclosure requirements, free press, or independent judiciary meant that structural incentives for corruption remained intact. Many observers noted that targets disproportionately included political rivals or officials from factions competing with Xi's. The campaign became a tool of political consolidation as much as anti-corruption enforcement.
Narrative Comparison
| Source | Narrative |
|---|---|
| PRC Official Narrative | The campaign protects the Party's ruling legitimacy, improves governance, and responds to the people's strong desire to combat corruption. |
| Western Academic Assessment | Scholars note the selective nature of prosecutions and absence of institutional safeguards. The campaign has been used to purge political opponents and consolidate Xi's faction while leaving structural incentives for corruption intact. (Wedeman, 2022) |