Millions of ruling party members in the People's Republic of China have faced various disciplinary punishments since Chairman Xi Jinping ascended to power. According to reports by the Financial Times, criminal cases against officials have surged 14-fold during his third term compared to the previous period. The Chinese leader purportedly attributes this heightened control to fighting corruption and eliminating 'severe hidden threats within the party, state, and armed forces.'
Key Takeaways: Criminal cases against officials multiplied by 14 during Xi Jinping's third term. Over the past 11 years, roughly 628,000 party functionaries have faced criminal charges, while an estimated 7.2 million individuals overall have suffered political or administrative penalties.
Such a vast wave of arrests and purges among Communist Party of China (CPC) officials has not been witnessed in the country since the era of Mao Zedong. Analysts note that the longer Xi remains in power, the broader the scope of these purges becomes. According to Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California, approximately 628,000 party functionaries have been prosecuted over the past 11 years. Given that official figures from 2024 place China's total prison population at 1.69 million, these purge victims represent a substantial portion of those behind bars.
Pei's calculations indicate that roughly 7.2 million CPC members have endured some form of political, administrative, or judicial punishment. This tally includes at least 632 'tigers'—a term designated for high-ranking officials at the deputy ministerial or provincial governor level and above. Zhang Fuhai, deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, presented even higher figures through state media, highlighting the systemic nature of the campaign.
Official statements reveal that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, disciplinary and oversight bodies nationwide have initiated 8.105 million cases and penalized 7.922 million people. Xi represents the fifth generation of Chinese leadership and notably broke established norms by securing a third term without appointing a successor, diverging from the traditional ten-year limit.
The next party congress is scheduled for the autumn of 2027, where Xi is widely expected to secure a fourth term in office. During a recent plenary session marked by a record number of absent delegates due to ongoing purges, Xi pushed forward a resolution aimed at cementing further party control. Observers emphasize that enacting such measures precisely one year ahead of the leadership congress is a calculated move to neutralize potential political opposition.
Source: kun.uz