The Chinese Communist Party has long been plagued by corruption, with the belief that almost every official is involved in some form of corruption. Just in the first quarter of this year, the disciplinary departments across the country have opened investigations into 220,000 cases, involving 14 officials at the provincial level and a staggering 130,000 individuals from rural areas and enterprises, along with 19,000 village cadres.
According to data released by the CCP’s Discipline Inspection Commission website on April 22, from January to March of this year, the disciplinary departments nationwide received 834,000 reports, handled 502,000 problematic leads, initiated investigations into 220,000 cases, and disciplined 185,000 individuals. Among these cases were 14 provincial-level officials, 130,000 individuals from rural areas and enterprises, and 19,000 village secretaries and committee directors.
A resident from Shandong, Ms. Lan, expressed to Epoch Times, “The numbers of corrupt officials apprehended do not reveal the full extent of the problem, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Every village where corruption seeps in, especially in misappropriating agricultural subsidies.” She illustrated, “For instance, during pesticide spraying on fields, some individuals use agricultural planes. If, for example, one acre requires two bottles of pesticide, but in reality, with just one bottle they can spray over three or four acres, the excess amount is essentially money, isn’t it?”
Lan continued, “The country aims to develop new rural areas by intensifying land use, seizing all the villagers’ residential land. When the villagers need to relocate, they require relocation fees, and this system can be exploited by over-reporting the residential land area. The subsidies provided to the villagers are calculated based on the house’s area, hence the excess amount is siphoned off through corruption. Additionally, a villager may have two trees in their yard, but they could report five trees, profiting from the money allocated for the additional three trees.”
In 2024, the disciplinary departments nationwide received 3.563 million reports, handled 2.175 million problematic leads, and initiated a total of 877,000 cases, involving 73 officials at the provincial level or above, 4,348 executives at the division level, 35,000 officials at the county bureau level, and 121,000 officials at the township level. Additionally, cases were observed concerning 104,000 current or former village secretaries and committee directors.
In 2023, the disciplinary departments nationwide received 3.452 million reports, dealt with 1.733 million problematic leads, and initiated 626,000 cases, involving 87 officials at the managerial level, 3,456 executives at the division level, 27,000 officials at the county bureau level, and 89,000 officials at the township level. The cases also encompassed 61,000 current or former village secretaries and committee directors.
A former public servant from Hunan, Mr. Li, stated, “The Communist Party of China has institutionalized corruption from government institutions down to village cadres, forming a hierarchy of corruption. Addressing corruption within this system is ineffective; it’s akin to swatting flies around a pit latrine. No matter how many flies you swat, you’re not addressing the root problem. This anti-corruption campaign is a facade, meant to deceive the public, serving more as a means to maintain power rather than genuine reform.”
Li emphasized, “To sustain this authoritarian system, a purge has been carried out, but it’s not a genuine anti-corruption effort. It’s essentially a sham process. Those in power are protected, as long as they comply. Any form of dissent would result in being purged under the guise of anti-corruption measures, ultimately benefiting those in power.” He further added, “Because officials at all levels are required to follow the directives of their superiors, their corrupt practices are essentially shielded in the process of maintaining the regime.”