Xi cites corruption as 'biggest threat' to ruling Communist Party

BEIJING, (Reuters) – Corruption is the biggest threat to China's Communist Party, President Xi Jinping said today, in a stark warning that the ruling party is determined to tackle a long-standing problem. date which is now rooted in many layers of Chinese society.

China was rocked last year by corruption investigations targeting high-profile figures ranging from a central bank vice governor to a former chairman of its biggest oil and gas company, adding to unease in a economy which is struggling to establish itself firmly and in a society struggling with a feeling of disappearance of identity. wealth.

The list also included a top Chinese admiral, Miao Hua, whose disgrace comes at a time when Beijing is trying to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its combat readiness.

Not only is corruption still pervasive in China, it is actually on the rise, Xi said at the start of a three-day congress of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the country's top body. anti-corruption monitoring of the country.

“Corruption is the biggest threat to our party,” he warned.

To underline the scale of the problem, the CCDI said in recent days that a record 58 “tigers,” or senior officials, were questioned last year.

Among those surveyed, 47 were at the vice-ministerial level or above, including Tang Renjian, former minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Gou Zhongwen, former head of the General Administration of Sports.

Even former senior officials have not been spared, such as Wang Yilin, who resigned as chairman of China National Petroleum Corp in 2020 after reaching retirement age.

The crackdown will continue, said Andrew Wedeman, a professor at Georgia State University.

“I don’t see how Xi could afford to back down at this point,” Wedeman said. “A dozen years after setting out to clean up the upper echelons, Xi still sees widespread corruption at the top of the party-state and the PLA. »

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has also been swept up in a wave of purges since 2023. Li Shangfu was removed as defense minister after seven months and his predecessor Wei Fenghe was expelled from the party for ” serious violations of discipline,” a euphemism for corruption.

CHALLENGES

Wedeman said it appeared the pool Xi is leaning on to replace him also included corrupt officials.

“If Xi promotes corrupt officials, it suggests that the party's internal control apparatus is not functioning effectively or, more importantly, that he himself is corrupt. »

China recognizes that its anti-corruption efforts face new challenges as traditional forms of corruption, such as accepting cash, become increasingly insidious.

“A businessman could offer me money directly, and I would refuse,” said Fan Yifei, former deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.

“But if he gives it in the form of shares or other assets, not directly to me but to my family, that's a completely different matter,” Fan was quoted as saying by state media.

Even the humble “flies” and “ants” of China's vast bureaucracy will not be spared, a program broadcast on national television on Sunday showed.

The first of four episodes of “Fighting Corruption for the People” aired before the CCDI meeting focused on grassroots corruption, including a case of how a primary school principal profited from bribes. wine from campus meals and another on how a rural official took bribes from agricultural project contractors.

“Compared to the 'tigers' in the distance, the public feels the corruption around them more keenly,” said Sun Laibin, a professor at the School of Marxism at Peking University.

The anti-corruption fight must reach the “hearts” of the masses, he said on the show, so they can “deeply feel” the party's attention.