China held 12% officials for corruption in 2025
China detained a record 65 deputy ministerial-level officials in 2025, 12 per cent higher than those caught a year ago, in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign being carried out on the orders of President Xi Jinping.
Those detained included top officials in charge of China’s provinces and cities, senior administrators in ministries, top financial regulators and bankers, senior executives of state-owned enterprises and presidents of prestigious universities. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), China’s top discipline and anti-corruption body, said the 2025 detentions were 12 per cent higher than 58 senior officials caught in the anti-corruption fight in 2024, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Saturday.
Xi, 72, currently in his unprecedented third five-year term as President, started the anti-graft campaign against “tigers and flies,” meaning big and small officials, when he took over power in 2012. State media reports previously said over a million officials, including dozens of high-level military officials, were punished. Several top army generals were also removed last year in the anti-graft campaign.
Observers say that the intensity of the campaign and its continuation also helped Xi to consolidate his power in the party and military. In an October internal speech, excerpts of which were made public on Wednesday, Xi emphasised that corruption was “the greatest threat” facing the party and said the cases were another reminder that the fight remained “grim and complex.”
The latest to be detained was Zhang Shiping, 71, a former vice-chairwoman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. She was detained on Tuesday for suspected corruption, the Post report said. These “tigers” are usually ranked at the deputy ministerial level or above. Some hold slightly lower ranks but occupy key positions in important sectors, the report said. The CCDI is due to hold its fifth plenary session from January 12 to 14 to chart out its priorities for 2026.
