China’s Anti-Corruption Drive Deepens as Xi Moves to Secure Continued Rule
Udumbara
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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has launched its most aggressive anti-corruption campaign on record, ensnaring a growing number of senior officials in what analysts describe as a sweeping political consolidation drive by Chinese leader Xi Jinping ahead of the CCP’s 21st National Congress.
A Record-Breaking Purge
On Jan. 31, the CCP announced that Wang Xiangxi, Party secretary and Minister of Emergency Management, was under investigation. Chinese state-owned media China News Service reported that since the beginning of the year, at least eight senior officials had been formally announced as under probes.Under the CCP, these senior regime officials are cadres whose appointments are controlled by the CCP’s Central Committee and registered with its Organization Department, which oversees the Party’s staffing positions.
In addition to Wang, those investigated in January include Li Xu, a senior official of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; Gu Jun, former general manager of China National Nuclear Corporation; Sun Shaocheng, former Inner Mongolia Party chief; Tian Xuebin, former vice minister of water resources; Zhang Jianlong, former forestry chief; Yang Hongyong, former secretary of the discipline inspection commission at Harbin Electric Group; and Bao Hui, former head of Chengdu’s Municipal People’s Congress.
Securing Control of the Military
Analysts say Zhang Youxia’s downfall stands out above all others.Kung Shan-Son, a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times that Zhang was the highest-ranking target to date and that the campaign’s real focus is military control rather than corruption.
“Investigations of senior military officers have never been purely about financial crimes,” Kung said. “The real issue is control over the gun.”
Political Cleansing Disguised as Anti-Corruption
Other analysts view the ongoing anti-corruption campaign as part of Xi’s broader effort to justify his continued stay in power beyond established norms.Su Tzu-yun, another research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times that Xi is using the removal of high-level officials to legitimize his continued rule.
“Corruption is a structural problem within the CCP,” Su said. “But without independent courts or media, what Beijing calls anti-corruption is in fact political cleansing.”
He pointed to the official accusations against Zhang and Liu—claims that they had undermined the CMC chairman—as evidence that loyalty, not corruption, was the core issue. Xi currently sits atop the PLA’s hierarchy as the CMC chairman.
Mark Cao, a U.S.-based military tech analyst, former materials engineer, and host of the Chinese-language military news YouTube channel “Mark Space,” told The Epoch Times that the unusually rapid pace of the purge suggests Xi is preparing to extend his term at the 21st Party Congress next year. However, he warned that the purges reflect a deeper ideological divide within the Party.
A Hollowed-Out Command Structure
The consequences for China’s military may be severe.After the removal of Zhang and Liu, a total of 15 active-duty generals have been officially removed since the CCP’s 20th Party Congress in 2022. An additional 20 generals are missing from public view.
According to Su, dozens of key military posts are now vacant, creating what he described as a leadership vacuum.
“With large numbers of full generals under investigation or having disappeared from public view, the purge is likely to extend to the lieutenant-general level,” Su said. “This will create clear breaks in the military’s command structure, limiting its operational capacity during missions.
“Morale will be severely damaged, planting the seeds of discontent within the ranks.”
An Isolated Strongman
Despite the turmoil, analysts differ on whether the shake-up poses an immediate threat to Xi’s rule.Cao argued that while Xi has effectively decapitated his own command structure, the risk of Xi’s downfall remains low. “The United States isn’t going to attack him,” he said, adding that within the CCP, loyalty is transactional and often collapses under pressure.
However, others see longer-term consequences. At an academic forum on Jan. 30 in Taiwan, Kou Chien-wen, a professor in political science at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, warned that the military purge is breeding resentment not only within the armed forces but also among the Party elites.
“Xi is removing longtime confidants,” Kou said. “Even if replacements are appointed, their relationship with him will be distant. Over time, Xi will become increasingly isolated.”
