Fact Check
A never-ending fight
By Lan Xinzhen  ·  2023-01-09  ·   Source: NO.2 JANUARY 12, 2023
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has made great strides in its fight against corruption over the past decade, but there is still a long way to go, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing on December 6, 2022.

President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over the meeting which stressed that Party members must always stay alert and determined to tackle the challenges unique to a big political party, remain resolute and persistent in the never-ending fight against corruption, and further strengthen the political resolve to exercise full and strict CPC governance. 

"Though thousands or tens of thousands may stand in my way, I will continue to forge ahead." Last October, when Xi joined a group discussion with delegates from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the 20th CPC National Congress, he used this quote to address China's counter-corruption undertakings.

The sentence can be traced back some 2,400 years, all the way to The Mencius, a collection of conversations and anecdotes by the Chinese Confucian philosopher Mencius (372-289 B.C.). It expresses the idea that when faced with difficulty, one must forge ahead and bite the bullet.

Corruption is an issue troubling every country and its ruling bodies. After Xi took the Party's helm in 2012, he initiated an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign implementing decisive measures and a zero-tolerance policy.

On December 4 that same year, Xi presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which adopted eight rules on improving officials' conduct and building closer ties with the people. During the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection shortly after, he called for holding accountable all dishonest officials, from high-ranking "tigers" to low-level "flies," the general principle of China's ongoing anti-corruption campaign. China has adopted a combination of measures to "take out tigers," "swat flies," and "hunt down foxes (i.e., fugitives abroad suspected of major economic crimes)," punishing corrupt officials on all levels. Moreover, a range of intra-Party regulations and anti-graft laws has been put in place.

Over the past decade, the CPC has battled corruption, employing all means necessary, and achieved remarkable results. CPC discipline inspection commissions at all levels and supervisory authorities across the country have investigated more than 4.5 million cases and brought to justice 4.4 million offenders. These measures aim to ensure officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to be corrupt.

Curbing corruption is a struggle that may cause resentment among those under investigation. The CPC Central Committee, driven by a strong sense of mission, has committed to "offending a few thousand rather than failing 1.4 billion" and intends to "clear the Party of all its ills."

On July 1, 2022, members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) recite the Party's admission oath at the site of the First CPC National Congress in Shanghai, held between July 23 and August 2, 1921 (XINHUA)

During the discussion with Guangxi delegates, Xi described Party members as fearless and always ready to rise up against danger. The quote he used also reflected his own devotion to the public good. And despite a myriad of challenges, the Party will always carry on.

Exercising rigorous self-governance and taking strong action against corruption exemplify the CPC's never-ending pursuit of self-revolution. In doing so, the Party has fostered a political atmosphere of integrity and gained popular support. It has been able to maintain solidarity and provides leadership as China advances toward national rejuvenation.

As the report to the 20th CPC National Congress last October read, corruption is "a cancer to the vitality and ability of the Party, and fighting corruption is the most thorough kind of self-reform." As long as the grounds and conditions for corruption exist, the Party must keep sounding the bugle and never rest, not even for a minute, in the fight against it. 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

Comments to lanxinzhen@cicgamericas.com 

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