In a recent episode of an anti-corruption TV series aired by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2026, Luo Baoming, former Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, appeared and “confessed” his corrupt activities, which were subsequently exposed. Besides Luo Baoming, several other fallen former high-ranking CCP officials have also appeared on TV to “confess,” with some analysts suggesting that their confessions may have been coerced and seemed more like a performance.
According to the episode, the Hainan Airlines Group once provided a villa of over 300 square meters in Haikou specifically for Luo Baoming’s mother, along with a nanny service. The wedding expenses of Luo Baoming’s daughter were fully covered by the Hainan Airlines Group.
Under the guise of supporting the development of private enterprises, Luo Baoming provided considerable support to the Hainan Airlines Group, and he and his family privately enjoyed a range of high-end services provided by the group. The episode uncovered that Luo Baoming and his family had taken multiple trips on the Hainan Airlines Group’s private jet for leisure travel, and were also arranged by the group to travel for free to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Switzerland, and Spain. The group provided a roughly 3,000-square-foot villa in Haikou for Luo’s mother to stay free of charge for four years, along with a nanny service. Even the venue, ceremonies, banquet, drinks, and other expenses for Luo Baoming’s daughter’s wedding were all arranged and paid for by the group.
In addition to Hainan Airlines, Luo Baoming’s relative Yun Mingqing previously held a senior position in a financial institution. Luo Baoming actively used his power to “create value” for this relative until their children divorced in 2018. During the period of their relationship, Yun Mingqing received substantial benefits with Luo Baoming’s help and reciprocally gave tens of millions to the Luo family.
In the latest series of anti-corruption TV episodes arranged by the authorities, former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian, former Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Xu Xianping, and former Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Committee Jiang Chaoliang, among other corrupt officials, have also appeared to “confess.”
Tang Renjian’s corrupt activities included forming a “Happy Weekend” WeChat group, arranging for his son to open a high-end restaurant near the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and having the bosses in the group recharge and pay using cards, gathering the group members for weekend gatherings of eating and drinking.
Xu Xianping retired but continued to use his influence to intervene in political and business relationships, engaging in corruption. From stepping down from the front line in 2015 to retiring in July 2023 and being investigated in March 2025, Xu Xianping’s ten years after stepping down were characterized by self-indulgence and profiting from his position. He even stated in the episode, “The world is truly amazing, you only realize it after retirement.”
An article by the Hong Kong media commentator Ji Xiaohua raised concerns that audiences have become somewhat desensitized to such collusion between politics and business. The repentance of these corrupt officials, portrayed in a theatrical manner, may no longer have the desired effect of warning other officials due to audience fatigue and skepticism.
The article questions whether the repentance of these former high-ranking officials appearing on screen is genuine or coerced. How much remorse do they truly feel?
Luo Baoming, 73, a native of Tianjin, had held various positions in the Tianjin political arena before becoming the Governor and Secretary of the Party Committee in Hainan Province. In 2017, he stepped down as Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee before being investigated in 2023.
In July 2024, after being investigated, Luo Baoming was later expelled from the Party due to serious violations of discipline and law, losing all associated benefits. Luo Baoming’s downfall marked him as the second high-ranking official to fall after Liu Xingtai, the former Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of the Hainan Provincial Committee, and the first former Secretary of the Provincial Committee to be investigated since the establishment of Hainan Province.
Earlier reports suggested that Luo Baoming was considered a close ally of former CCP leader Jiang Zemin. Jiang Zemin’s visit to Hainan Dongshan with three generations of his family accompanied by Luo Baoming in 2015 was seen as a signal of a potential political comeback, challenging the authority of the current leadership under Xi Jinping.
Luo Baoming’s fall from grace also underscores the ongoing power struggles within the CCP. On January 24 of last year, it was officially announced that Luo Baoming was expelled from the Party and stripped of all benefits due to serious violations of discipline and law.
Accusations against Luo Baoming included inappropriate relationships with political swindlers, causing significant financial losses and negative political consequences, resisting investigation, promoting superstitious activities, receiving high-end services from companies without disclosure, intervening and meddling in disciplinary and law enforcement activities, engaging in money-for-power dealings, and utilizing his position for personal gain in business operations and project contracts.
In June of last year, Luo Baoming was indicted and on December 9, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for corruption. According to the charges, from 1995 to 2024, Luo Baoming illegitimately received monetary benefits totaling over 113 million yuan by exploiting his positions as the Director of the Tianjin City Commerce Department, Deputy Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, Governor of Hainan Province, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Twelfth National People’s Congress Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee, among others, to provide assistance to relevant entities and individuals in project contracting, bank loans, and commercial cooperation.
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