A day before a key meeting of China's anti-corruption body, state television broadcast a program that focuses on fighting low-level corruption, underscoring the country's commitment to tackling the problem, reports "Reuters"
The first of four episodes of "Fighting Corruption for the People" aired Sunday night, examining local corruption cases, including a primary school principal in northeastern China who received kickbacks from school lunch suppliers and an official in rural Sichuan province who took bribes from agricultural project contractors.
China has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals in the past year, including investigations into high-ranking figures such as a former deputy governor of the Central Bank and the chairman of the country's largest oil company. Among those affected is a top military leader, Admiral Miao Hua, whose resignation coincided with China's efforts to modernize its military and boost combat readiness.
A record 58 high-ranking officials, known as "tigers," were investigated in 2024, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The commission is meeting from Monday to Wednesday to formulate its tasks for 2025, state media reported.
The investigations cover officials at the level of vice ministers and above, including former agriculture minister Tang Zhenjiang and former sports chief Guo Junwen. Even retired leaders, such as Wang Yilin, former chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation, have not been spared.
Analysts note that the fight against corruption remains a serious challenge. According to Professor Andrew Wedemann of the University of Georgia, the problem of corruption remains widespread in the party-state apparatus and the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
"It seems that the cadre base that replaces corrupt officials is also full of corrupt individuals", he notes.
China acknowledges that traditional forms of corruption, such as taking cash, have been replaced by more subtle methods, such as giving assets to family members. Former deputy governor of the Central Bank, Fan Yifei, sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, said: "If someone offered me money directly, I would refuse. But if it came in the form of shares or other assets given to my family, that's a whole different matter."
According to Professor Sun Laibing of Peking University, the fight against corruption must reach "the hearts" to the people, so that they feel the party's care. The television program emphasized that society is more sensitive to corruption in everyday life than to distant high-level scandals.