Xi’s crusade against corruption has gone well beyond economic crime

Wider campaign is now increasingly about how officials use their power, whether they toe the line, and what they do in their private lives

Thirteen years since it began, it is now increasingly about how officials use their power, whether they toe the line, and what they do in their private lives.

The South China Morning Post analysed the findings of hundreds of disciplinary investigations conducted by the anti-corruption watchdog from 2013 to 2025. The findings suggest that Xi’s campaign has expanded from economic corruption to a broader effort to reshape how the bureaucracy is run.

While bribery is still the legal foundation for cases to enter the court system, political loyalty, discipline, policy implementation and cadre management have become part of how corruption is defined and punished in China.

Cadres at this level are overseen by the party’s personnel agency – the Central Organisation Department – which is responsible for administration, assessment and recommendations on who is in and who is out.