Political-biz collusive graft worrying

An anti-graft documentary aired on Monday spotlighted political-business collusion as a pervasive form of corruption, citing the case of Luo Baoming, the former Party chief of Hainan province who abused his power to benefit a network of associates over several decades.

Luo formed a distorted "clique" of fellow townsmen, businessmen, officials and relatives, according to the documentary, which is part of a four-episode series that premiered on Sunday. Investigators found he accepted massive bribes through entrusted shareholding, house swaps and deferred payments.

"I let the Party down and failed Hainan's people," Luo said in a televised confession. "Having worked there 16 years, I now see the countless wrongdoings and crimes I committed, which inflicted irreparable losses and left me stigmatized as a corrupt official."

Luo, a former deputy director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, retired from that post in 2023 at the age of 70. He previously spent years in Hainan, serving successively as deputy Party chief, governor and Party chief.

The Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision noted that corruption remains rife in evolving forms, with political-business collusion a primary concern.

Luo's path to corruption began in the 1990s in his hometown of Tianjin. He accepted a 500,000 yuan ($71,700) cash bribe from a businessman to approve an auction house project. At the time, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in China was only a few thousand yuan.

"I hesitated at first, but the feeling faded over time and I didn't return the money," Luo recalled.

When Luo transferred to Hainan in 2001, his ties to Tianjin businessmen followed him. The top anti-corruption watchdogs identified "bringing businessmen to new posts" as a hallmark of modern collusion.

In one instance, a Tianjin businessman surnamed Zhang built two unauthorized extra floors for a Hainan real estate project. When local authorities ordered a demolition, Luo intervened to legitimize the illegal construction. In exchange, Zhang offered Luo an apartment. To avoid scrutiny, Luo declined. Zhang instead swapped two of the Luo family's small, older homes in Tianjin for two larger, new apartments.

Luo also used his authority to secure Hainan projects for another Tianjin businessman, surnamed Du. In return, Du purchased a Luo family property in Tianjin at a price millions of yuan above its market value to mask the bribe.

The network extended to personnel appointments. Luo used his power to place "his own people" in key posts, such as Dong Xianzeng. A former subordinate from Tianjin, Dong followed Luo to Hainan and rose rapidly to become the head of the Hainan provincial department of transportation.

Dong ensured Luo's demands were met without resistance. Dong was sentenced to 14.5 years in prison for bribery last year.

Luo also built connections with former senior executives of the Hainan Airlines Group, which underwent bankruptcy restructuring between 2020 and 2021. Under the guise of supporting private enterprise, Luo granted HNA various favors while accepting luxury services.

Luo and his family used the group's business jets for domestic trips to Guangdong, Shanxi, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. The group also funded overseas trips for his family and paid for his daughter's wedding at an HNA-affiliated hotel.

Luo's relatives also participated in the schemes. His daughter's father-in-law, Yun Mingqing, a former financial executive, gained massive benefits through Luo's influence. By the time Yun divorced from Luo's family in 2018, he had reportedly given tens of millions of yuan to the family in exchange for favors.

Additionally, Luo's former son-in-law acted as a matchmaker for Liu Baofeng, former deputy director of the Hainan provincial department of transportation. With Luo's support, Liu was promoted, and a businessman connected to the deal won a bid for an expressway section. The Luo family received millions of yuan from the arrangement.

In December 2025, Luo was sentenced to 15 years in prison for bribery. Several others in his network have also been punished under Party discipline and state law.