China builds more than 200 specialized detention centers as Xi Jinping expands anti-corruption campaign: report

China's anti-corruption campaign has led to the construction or expansion of more than 200 specialized detention centers, targeting a wide range of civil servants and private sector executives. This growing network of detention centers is part of Xi Jinping's broader strategy to consolidate power and expand his repression beyond the Communist Party.

China has built or expanded more than 200 specialized detention centers across the country as part of President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has now extended beyond the Communist Party and now extends to a greater number of public sector civil servants, private entrepreneurs and administrators in sectors such as health. and education.

A CNN investigation reveals the scale and nature of this expansion, which reflects Xi's strengthening control over the party and the nation.

Xi's expanding anti-corruption campaign

Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he has waged a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that targets not only corrupt officials but also his political rivals, consolidating his control over the Communist Party and the military. Xi, now in his third term, has made this repression a permanent part of his regime, institutionalizing it to strengthen his authority.

The anti-corruption campaign has evolved over time, now focusing on a broader range of individuals beyond the party. It includes private business executives, school administrators and hospital officials, many of whom are not members of the Communist Party but are subject to the same punitive measures.

The Liuzhi Detention System

The expanded detention regime, known as “liuzhi” or “custody detention,” is at the heart of this broader crackdown. This system involves specialized detention centers with padded surfaces and 24-hour guards, where detainees can be held for up to six months without access to lawyers or family visits. It has become a powerful tool in Xi's broader anti-corruption strategy, sparking fear within and outside the Communist Party.

Historically, the party's disciplinary arm, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), used a secret, extralegal detention system, detaining Communist Party members suspected of corruption or wrongdoing in undisclosed locations for extended periods of time. without a lawyer. In 2018, amid growing criticism of abuses of the system, Xi abolished the controversial “shuanggui” system, known for its lack of legal oversight and its use of forced confessions.

Little improvement in prisoners' rights

The Liuzhi system retains many of the troubling features of its predecessor, including the ability to detain individuals without contact with the outside world and the lack of independent oversight. A criminal lawyer representing Chinese officials in corruption cases shared with CNN that little has improved when it comes to protecting the rights of detainees under the new system.

Unlike its predecessor, which focused primarily on Communist Party members, the liuzhi system casts a much wider net. It now targets anyone in a position of “public power”, including civil servants, hospital and school directors, as well as business figures who may have been involved in corruption. Prominent figures such as billionaire investment banker Bao Fan and former footballer Li Tie, who this month was sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption, are among those detained under the Liuzhi system .

Criticism of the expanding detention system

Since its inception, at least 127 senior executives of publicly traded companies, many of them privately owned, have been arrested, with the majority of these arrests occurring in the last two years alone. State media have argued that the expanded jurisdiction fills gaps in the party's anti-corruption efforts, targeting systemic abuses of power in China's vast public sector, from corruption in hospitals to embezzlement in schools.

While the government emphasizes the need to expand the scope of the Liuzhi system to combat corruption in the public sector, critics see it as further strengthening the Communist Party's control over society. They argue the system reflects Xi's increasingly authoritarian leadership and a broader erosion of rights as the Chinese leader consolidates power over the state and its citizens.

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