During the era of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping, Chinese government officials are being warned that even falling in love is risky. Not only that, individuals within the entire CCP system have faced increasing control over their private lives in recent years, leading to private complaints and resistance.
CNN published a report on August 16 titled “In China, the Risks of Falling in Love as a Communist Party Member,” analyzing the political environment under Xi Jinping’s rule.
The report cited an example of a CCP government employee about to marry her true love – a foreigner she met at an overseas airport. However, instead of receiving congratulations from her colleagues, they advised her to reconsider under the instructions of department superiors.
The report mentioned that the CCP has long forbidden government officials or individuals with access to “important secrets” from marrying foreigners. Especially since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, various aspects of the personal lives of party members or individuals within the system – from divorce to travel, social activities – have been subjected to increasingly strict scrutiny.
The report pointed out that this is one of Xi Jinping’s measures to “reduce national security risks” and “eradicate corruption.” However, for tens of millions of individuals within the system, this has created conflicts between personal rights and “loyalty to the party.”
The report also mentioned that in China, divorces among officials can also trigger scrutiny.
Previously, CCP authorities have disclosed cases of officials getting divorced to hide illicit gains. In 2014, media reported a case in which an official from Hanshan County, Anhui Province, “faked a divorce” with his wife to transfer assets and bury gold and silver in the yard when facing inspection by the discipline inspection commission. Additionally, there have been cases of senior or retired officials of bureau level or higher exposing unexplained assets worth tens of millions of yuan during divorce lawsuits in court and being handed over to public security and discipline inspection authorities, as reported in the news.
In recent years, many officials who have fallen from grace have been reported for being “dishonest” to the party, including concealing changes in marital status.
In terms of love and marriage, Chinese military personnel typically face even stricter restrictions. According to regulations issued by the Central Military Commission in 2021, military personnel must submit their partner’s information for a political background check before marriage. If a breakup occurs, the situation becomes even more complicated. If both parties are military personnel, higher-level authorities must intervene for reconciliation, and the couple can only proceed with civil divorce after approval from the military, prolonging the process.
In China, older people remember a time from the early 1950s to September 2003 when getting married required a letter of introduction from one’s workplace or CCP organization. This practice is a remnant of the planned economy era.
Chinese issues expert Li Lin told Epoch Times that under the guise of “national security,” Xi Jinping is to some extent reverting to this inhumane state-controlled system.
Additionally, friendships among colleagues can also attract scrutiny. A source told CNN that colleagues no longer dine together or chat, relationships have become distant, and there is no longer an expectation to become close friends with colleagues. Some colleagues prefer to meet late at night in places far from the office to avoid being seen by others.
In China, almost everyone in power is a party member, and being expelled from the party means the end of one’s political career.
While other countries’ governments have their own rules and public requirements, the extent of control by the CCP and the sheer number of affected individuals is striking – and extends far beyond government officials.
The aforementioned report quoted an estimate from a research paper at Fudan University, indicating that around 70 million people were employed by the government in 2020, including employees of public hospitals, schools, universities, and state-owned enterprises.
Since 2023, Beijing has expanded its “counter-espionage campaign,” viewing foreign contacts with suspicion and fearing the leakage of state secrets. Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaigns emphasize absolute loyalty to the CCP.
Since the 19th Party Congress, many high-ranking officials promoted by Xi Jinping himself have been “purged,” including most of the members of the Central Military Commission’s seven-member body. The political bureau, which originally had 24 members, now has only 21.
CNN interviewed several unnamed Chinese individuals who sacrificed personal freedom for the sake of obtaining respectable government positions.
An informant explained, “The temptation of power is too great. Entering the system is almost equivalent to becoming an official, and becoming an official means being superior.”
In recent years, with the Chinese economy slowing down, opportunities in the private sector dwindling, global economic instability causing domestic unrest, a real estate crisis, and high youth unemployment rates, many are willing to enter the government for stable jobs. Last year, around 3.7 million people participated in the national civil service examination for about 38,100 positions – meaning nearly 100 candidates competed for one position.
In recent years, many older generation officials who spent their entire careers within the system have desired to go abroad, not necessarily intending to emigrate but often face obstacles.
A former Chinese government official told CNN that he had planned to attend his son’s graduation ceremony at a prestigious school in Europe, had even purchased a plane ticket, but his application to travel abroad was denied by his unit. The former official said he knew he needed approval for the trip and believed that notifying six months in advance should suffice, as long as the correct procedures were followed, but he was ultimately prohibited from leaving the country.
The individual mentioned that he had approached personnel in the organization department and others to negotiate, but they all said it was a red line, and no one dared to cross it.
The CCP has long restricted officials from traveling abroad, but in recent years, these controls have expanded to more individuals. At the end of last month, Beijing even announced new entry and exit regulations, giving grassroots border officials significant discretionary powers – allowing even county-level agencies to restrict individuals from leaving the country if an official deems them “potentially” endangering national security or industrial safety.
In recent years, the CCP power departments have initiated overseas pursuit operations named “Sky Net” and “Operation Fox Hunt,” aimed at capturing officials who have fled abroad with embezzled public funds. However, in recent years, more and more current or retired individuals within the system have gone abroad to declare anti-CCP stances, criticizing the CCP’s pursuit as transnational repression.
According to relevant organizational regulations, employees of CCP national and public institutions (including some retired personnel) must hand in their personal passports for centralized storage, and any travel must be applied for in advance by “borrowing” a passport.
CNN stated that according to sources and public regulations, this complicated and opaque process requires applicants to disclose every detail, such as the destination, duration, and activities planned during the trip. Once approved, applicants are not allowed to change plans without authorization. The process is so complex that most people are simply too lazy to apply.
Moreover, individuals with higher positions within the system or more access to classified information often face stricter restrictions. Officials of bureau level and above, even after retiring, generally face permanent travel restrictions.
The aforementioned retired government official mentioned that he had reapplied to reunite with his son in Europe this summer but was once again rejected. He was informed that he needed to wait a few more years, after which no further approval would be necessary. While he, being older, could still hope to travel again, if the person in question was in their 30s, they would have to wait until their retirement in their 60s before being able to travel.
Epoch Times exclusively reported in February this year that there were further tightening of control on retired CCP officials leaving the country in Hunan and other places. According to sources within the CCP system, some regions have expanded the scope of management from cadre-level retired officials to even department-level or lower personnel in key departments. After retirement, if these individuals need to go abroad, the original unit’s “filing” process has been replaced with “approval.”
Since the beginning of this year, China has tightened control measures on retired senior officers, not only tightening regulations on living in different places or traveling privately but also focusing on close monitoring of ideological dynamics, such as monthly routine contacts, quarterly home visits, establishing a regular online communication mechanism for retired officials going abroad, and real-time monitoring of their life and ideological status.
Political commentator Chen Pokong told Epoch Times that the authorities have implemented this move due to three insecurities: “first, the entrance and exit of senior officials can become a source of intelligence leaks; second, senior officials can also become a source of anti-Xi sentiment because they are aware of the internal party situations; third, these senior officials can also become a source of collaboration with overseas forces. Xi Jinping has an extreme sense of insecurity, growing more suspicious; regardless of whether these senior officials have the courage to engage with external matters, Xi Jinping is afraid.”
At the 19th CCP Congress in 2017, a slogan was written into the party charter: “The Party commands everything in China, with the Party at the core.”
Scholars cited by CNN analyze that Xi Jinping’s strict use of control methods is because he cannot ensure that every party member harbors the loyalty he expects, but he hopes to get as close to this goal as possible.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly mentioned in recent years that the CCP currently “needs to be prepared to withstand major tests of high winds and waves, even tsunami-like trials.”
Yuan Hongbing, a legal scholar in Australia, analyzed for Epoch Times that these wordings reflect a significant apocalyptic crisis that the CCP regime is facing unprecedented internal and external pressures.
Yuan Hongbing said that Xi Jinping is gradually transforming the Communist Party into his personal dictatorship, sparking strong resistance within the CCP. Despite maintaining his personal rule through a massive national security, surveillance, and discipline system, due to the highly centralized nature, various factions and bureaucratic systems within the CCP are generally experiencing backlash. Many officials are passive, reluctant to take responsibility, leading to a decline in administrative efficiency, reflecting enormous pressure on its ruling foundation.