No official exempt in anti-graft fight

China's anti-corruption efforts achieved a new level of accomplishment in 2025. Data from the country's top anti-graft bodies revealed an unprecedentedly intensive year, marked not only by a record number of high-level investigations, but also by a fundamental strategic shift toward what experts call the "deep-water stage" of governance.

Official disclosures from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Commission of Supervision showed that 65 centrally managed officials — senior figures under the management of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee — were placed under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation in 2025.

Among them were eight ministerial-level officials, including high-profile names such as Jiang Chaoliang, former vice-chairperson of the National People's Congress Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, Jin Xiangjun, former governor of Shanxi province, and Yi Huiman, former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

Yi was placed under investigation for suspected serious violations of Communist Party discipline and national laws in September, while Jiang and Jin were expelled from the CPC and dismissed from public office in October.

Additionally, 53 previously investigated centrally managed officials received disciplinary and administrative sanctions in 2025, effectively concluding a year of rigorous accountability.

A meeting on Dec 25 of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee fully affirmed the 2025 achievements in disciplinary inspection and supervision. It noted that the CCDI, NCS and local disciplinary authorities had steadily advanced clean government construction, maintained a high-pressure anti-corruption stance, deepened the simultaneous investigation and rectification of unhealthy Party conducts and corruption, and made new progress in promoting high-quality disciplinary inspection work.

Experts emphasized that these landmark figures send an unequivocal message: No official, regardless of rank, is above the law in China's anti-graft fight. They signaled that China's anti-corruption drive has entered a critical deep-water phase focused on enhancing governance efficiency.

Liu Yi, an associate professor of the University of International Business and Econo-mics' School of Marxism in Beijing, said the record-high number of investigations reflected the CPC Central Committee's assessment that the anti-corruption situation remains "grave and complex".

"It demonstrated the Party's firm resolve to break the historical cycle of rise and fall through self-reform at a critical stage of advancing Chinese modernization," Liu said. "Whoever crosses disciplinary and legal red lines — regardless of rank — will face severe punishment."

As early as January 2025, the communique of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CCDI had emphasized the "grave and complex" nature of the anti-corruption fight. It vowed unwavering determination to win the battle against corruption by adhering to a policy that integrated deterrence, regulation and education.

The fifth plenary session of the 20th CCDI is scheduled to be held from Monday to Wednesday.

Liu highlighted that increased transparency in disclosing details of major 2025 anti-corruption cases has turned abstract disciplinary rules into concrete warning materials. This has strengthened identification among Party members and cadres, dispelled fluke and onlooker mentalities, and improved the accuracy and effectiveness of warning education, he said.

"Anti-corruption achievements are reflected not only in the growing number of investigations but also in the in-depth eradication of existing corruption and effective curbing of new corruption," Liu added. This strategy, combining "full coverage" with "focus on key priorities", marked China's anti-corruption fight entering a critical stage of addressing deep-seated issues to boost governance efficiency.

Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of Peking University's Research Center of Public Policy, said that the central government's determination, intensity and standards in fighting corruption remained unchanged. "The investigation of major cases is encouraging, showing anti-corruption is advancing in depth," he said.

Zhuang pointed out that anti-corruption cases in 2025 covered a wide range of fields, with a significant number involving ministerial-level officials. Frequent investigations of senior officials who had been retired for many years clearly confirm that "retirement is not a safe haven or a safe deposit box".

Among them was 75-year-old Yang Chao, former president of China Life Insurance (Group) Co, who was placed under investigation for suspected severe violations of Party discipline and national laws in March 2025, 14 years after his retirement.

"Current anti-corruption work takes individual cases as breakthroughs, conducts in-depth investigations, and promotes comprehensive governance from point to area, often uncovering higher-level corrupt elements," he said.
Safeguarding development

Looking ahead to 2026 — the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period — the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee emphasized that disciplinary inspection and supervisory organs at all levels should promote comprehensive and strict Party governance with higher standards and more solid measures, providing strong guarantees for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Ji Yaping, director of Northwest University of Political Science and Law's School of Administrative Law, said that 2026 is of great significance for China's comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country. The smooth implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan is crucial to basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, Ji said, adding that a sound political ecosystem, fostered through vigorous anti-corruption efforts, is essential to safeguarding economic and social development.

"Therefore, disciplinary inspection and supervisory bodies must fully implement the Party's important thought on self-reform and advance the anti-corruption fight to provide solid political guarantees for the coming period," Ji said.

Liu, the UIBE scholar, said that a sound and upright political ecosystem constitutes the best business environment. Eradicating corrupt elements can reduce institutional transaction costs, improve the efficiency of resource allocation and foster a level playing field for market entities, he added.

"Future anti-corruption efforts must be more consciously integrated into the overall national development agenda," Liu said. "Authorities should strengthen supervision over major strategies such as the development of new productive forces and coordinated regional development to ensure policy implementation."

Liu stressed that policies and strategies should be applied precisely: severely punishing corruption while improving tolerance and correction mechanisms, standing with responsible officials, and achieving the organic unity of a clean political ecosystem and dynamic economic development.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn