Attention to decency

Rounding up corrupt officials is not the key, however. The key is that the anti-graft campaign is making officials and all public service employees pay more attention to decency in their conduct and public image.

Rules and practices are being established to keep corruption at bay from the top down to the lowest local level thanks to the work of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Party's disciplinary body headed by financial specialist Wang Qishan.

Admittedly, problems still exist. No one－citizens or government policy－is looking at a paradise-on-Earth scenario. Corruption is a stubborn virus. But power, as its host, needs to be "shut in a cage of system checks", as Xi put it.

Citizens have been closely following the progress of the anti-graft campaign, and in online communities debates are lively and intense after each case is exposed.

Yes, there is cynicism, but few ordinary men and women would argue that the campaign has gone too far, or shouldn't have been so widespread. In contrast to the pessimism and nonchalance typical among those who take part in online debates, what is more commonly heard today is encouragement for leaders to do more.

The opinions shared on WeChat, the instant messaging app, go some way to reflecting the mass support that Xi's team has received. And it is support of a vitally important kind. First, it is based on a sentiment, and behind it a political awareness, that is widely shared by citizens, namely, the discontent with corruption and an aspiration for quick efforts to halt its spread. This is where Xi can most effectively build a national consensus and, through it, earn his team's credibility.

Observers may argue that the anti-graft campaign still has a long way to go in finding solid, lasting institutional solutions, but this end game is what Xi has promised to his comrades and the Chinese people.

Second, political unity will help China's economic transition in many ways. By its very nature, a major economic change can't make everyone or every company happy. Some industries that were flourishing several years ago will have to stop production and lay off workers. Saying a business model is no longer working is much easier than dispensing with it and building a replacement. It requires time. Economic officials have already warned that China's transition may take one to two decades to complete. During that process, political unity can guarantee social stability.

In addition, in a country with a large, centralized government, any economic transition inevitably involves many government initiatives, such as investment projects and social programs. Rooting out corruption can help the economy save a lot of resources and conquer the bureaucratic resistance to change.

How to manage political cost is an issue that can never be underestimated. There are ample instances in world history where politics, or a lack of institutional capabilities, ruined a country's chance to enjoy continued economic prosperity. Indeed, if not led by a decisive anti-graft campaign, one can hardly think of any practical starting point for China's economic transition.

Viewing China from this perspective, the country is by no means the mystery that some observers claim. It's simple: As citizens are alarmed about official corruption, and as the economy needs to do away with bureaucratic resistance to go forward, Xi and his leadership team have called themselves for duty. Three years after being sworn into office, this is the biggest issue they have been working on.

So much about Xi Jinping, president of China.

So much about the politics of China today.