The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has once again emphasized the crackdown on “naked officials” and the tight control over public servants traveling abroad for personal reasons. Analysts believe that since senior CCP officials are also suspected of being “naked officials,” the authorities’ crackdown on this issue remains selective, leaving room for maneuver. The ongoing strict control over personnel traveling abroad has now extended to ordinary citizens, leading to what is perceived as a de facto “closed-door” policy.
The CCP Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group’s International Pursuit and Recovery Office held a meeting on April 2, 2026, to discuss and deploy the international pursuit and recovery of corrupt officials and the governance of cross-border corruption for the year. It initiated the so-called “SkyNet 2026” operation. The meeting mandated the Central Organization Department, in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Security and the National Immigration Administration, to effectively manage the appointment of “naked officials” and resolve issues related to public servants traveling abroad (or to foreign regions) for personal reasons.
Previously, the South China Morning Post reported in February that since early last year, CCP government departments and state-owned enterprises have conducted multiple rounds of inspections, focusing on officials at the senior levels and senior executives’ overseas relationships.
Officials whose spouses and children have resided abroad for an extended period have long been a key focus of Beijing’s anti-corruption supervision agencies. According to insiders, the recent review scope has expanded to include officials whose children live abroad while their spouses remain in China. These individuals are now subject to stricter scrutiny and are required to promptly report relevant information as requested.
The so-called “naked officials” in the CCP’s official circles refer to officials whose spouses and children have all relocated abroad. Officials whose children live overseas while their spouses remain in China are referred to as “semi-naked officials.”
Beijing has been cracking down on the issue of “naked officials” for many years. In 2014, the CCP Central Organization Department issued a document stipulating that “naked officials” cannot be promoted or hold leadership positions in party and government organs, the military, or state-owned enterprises. Additionally, officials are required to regularly report on the status of their family members and assets outside mainland China. However, the prevalence of “naked officials” in the CCP circles persists, with such officials still being promoted despite the regulations.
On November 1, 2025, several high-ranking officials, including former PBOC Governor Yi Gang and former Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Wang Rong, were relieved of their leadership positions in the CPPCC Standing Committee. According to a report by the Hong Kong media outlet, Sing Tao Daily, these officials were removed from their positions because authorities were cleaning up “naked officials” with spouses or children unwilling to return to China. However, after being relieved of their CPPCC duties, their roles as members of the National CPPCC remained intact.
In the second half of 2025, at least 20 officials were said to have “stepped down” from their primary roles. This includes individuals like Liu Duo, Deputy Mayor of Shanghai; Yan Aoshuang, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee; Lin Shangli, President of Renmin University of China and former Deputy Director of the Central Policy Research Office; Zhang Guangjun, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology and later Party Secretary of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.
On January 9, 2026, the Jamestown Foundation released a report revealing that these individuals all share a common trait: they have deep overseas connections and their immediate relatives have long-term residence abroad. In other words, they are considered “naked officials.”
Commenting on the issue, political commentator Li Lin told Epoch Times that the CCP’s handling of “naked officials” or “semi-naked officials” is still selective and allows for compromise. For instance, allowing these high-ranking officials to retire early from certain positions often leads to a smooth transition. This suggests that even the top echelons of the CCP are making compromises because, in reality, senior CCP leaders also have similar situations. If they were to crack down heavily, there could be dissent from below, leading to even more passivity.
Public records show that among CCP leader Xi Jinping’s relatives, many had immigrated collectively as early as the late 20th century. Xi Jinping’s younger brother, Xi Yuanping, also wields influence in official circles, having become a permanent resident of Hong Kong during the British colonial period in the 1990s, and is rumored to hold Australian citizenship.
The prevalence of “naked officials” in the CCP is often seen as a genuine response to political crises in official circles, a fact Xi Jinping once rare…
(Continued in next message)