Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption battle in 2024 hit a new report, with 56 top officials—all at vice-ministerial level or higher—being placed under investigation. According to a report from the South China Morning Post, this is an almost 25 % increase from the 45 high-ranking officials who were subject to an investigation in 2023.
These studies are headed by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), China’s top anti-corruption regulator.
The scope of the campaign has grown, with two-fold corruption cases in the top political parties ‘ organs and ministers ‘ 2024 increases. Notable increases have also been seen in the defense and aerospace sectors. But, fraud cases in the banking sector—a key focus in 2023—have declined. In comparison to the eight condition bankers who worked for the government the year before, there are now four top state bankers under investigation.
Heightened attention on key agencies
Twelve of the 56 people detained this season held positions in state and main Socialist parties, a double the quantity in 2023. This indicates that there is more emphasis being put on tackling corruption in the party’s most powerful positions and ministers.
Since launching his anti-corruption travel in 2012, Xi has pursued a continuous battle to root out both high-level “tigers” and low-level “flies”. The military, especially the PLA Rocket Force responsible for overseeing China’s radioactive army, has been a focal point of this work.
Problems at the Army
Corruption within the People’s Liberation Army ( PLA ) continue to pose significant challenges to Xi Jinping’s rule in China. In a time of rising geopolitical tensions, these problems are more than just a financial problem for Xi. They undermine the effectiveness of China’s military forces. These internal flaws must be addressed in order for Xi’s plan to make the Army a global military force.
Critics claim that Xi’s consolidation of power may lead to more corruption because consolidated authority and a lack of administrative controls promote mismanagement. More tidying up efforts to assess the extent of fraud or its effect on military capabilities is made more difficult by the impenetrable character of China’s political and military systems.
The energy balance between the Army and the Communist Party as a whole is being reshaped by the anti-corruption massacres. As evidenced by the research into prominent figures like Miao Hua, a key person in the PLA Rocket Force, top hardliners are not immune.
