U.S. report exposes CCP leadership corruption： Anti-corruption campaign actually power struggle

Mar 23, 2025

A March 2025 report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) reveals that corruption among the top ranks of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is widespread and systemic. It is closely tied to the CCP’s high degree of centralization, lack of transparency, and absence of external oversight. Since launching an anti-corruption campaign in 2012, Xi Jinping has investigated nearly 5 million officials over a decade. While ostensibly targeting corruption, the campaign also serves as a key tool for purging political rivals and tightening internal Party control.

The report highlights that the CCP’s anti-corruption efforts lack independence. The disciplinary inspection system is directly controlled by the Party, making it prone to political manipulation. At the local level, the tension between pursuing economic performance and centralized power fosters corruption. Officials can obtain gray income—illicit gains—amounting to 4 to 6 times their legitimate earnings through bribery and other means. Although financial details of top officials are tightly guarded, foreign media in 2012 still uncovered that the families of Wen Jiabao and Xi Jinping controlled massive assets worth billions of U.S. dollars.

The report also emphasizes that even top military officials closely tied to Xi Jinping have not been immune to the purge. From 2023 to 2024, top commanders in the PLA Rocket Force, Defense Minister Li Shangfu, and key Central Military Commission figure Miao Hua were all investigated. This underscores the CCP’s heightened vigilance regarding political loyalty and combat readiness within the military. Anti-corruption has become a critical tool for reinforcing regime stability and preparing for potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

(Source: ODNI)