On November 10, 2025, during the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a significant number of corrupt “tigers” were targeted. Following this, more corrupt senior officials from the party and government have been continuously exposed. Three individuals were dealt with on the same day, drawing attention to the increasing trend of corruption within the party.
The authorities announced on November 10 that Yang Xiaowei, former deputy director of the Education, Science, Health, and Sports Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, is under investigation and will face prosecution. The official report stated that Yang Xiaowei is suspected of taking bribes on a large scale, using his position to benefit others in business operations, project bidding, and engineering contracts, as well as illegally accepting large sums of money, among other charges.
Simultaneously on the same day, Liu Kuanren, former Vice Chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was also investigated for suspected involvement in power-for-money exchanges and illegal acceptance of substantial amounts of money, including misappropriation of public funds.
Likewise, Li Chunliang, former deputy director of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration), was implicated in similar corrupt practices and faces prosecution for using his influence for personal gains.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP concluded on October 23. According to mainland media, the recent cases involving Yang Xiaowei and the other two individuals mark the third round of “wholesale-style” disciplinary actions targeting central officials since the plenum.
The term “central-level officials” refers to senior officials directly managed and recorded by the CCP’s Organization Department, with their appointments and removals decided by the Central Committee of the CCP.
Previously, on October 27, Lü Wenjun, former party committee member and deputy general manager of China One Heavy Industries Group Co., Ltd., Zhang Jianhua, former deputy director of the National Defense Technology Industry Bureau, and Jiang Chaoliang, former member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, were investigated.
On November 3, Song Chaohua, former Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Congress Standing Committee, Xu Xianping, former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Wang Jianjun, former Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, were also subject to “wholesale-style” disciplinary actions.
As reported by mainland media, as of November 10, 2025, a total of 52 central-level officials (including ministerial-level and above, as well as deputy ministerial-level) have been implicated in corruption cases.
According to data released by the CCP’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in the first three quarters of this year alone, 90 provincial and ministerial-level officials were placed under investigation, exceeding the total number for the previous year. Notably, 47 officials were investigated in the third quarter, setting a historical record high.
In recent years, the CCP has boasted about its “anti-corruption achievements,” highlighting the increasing number of officials being implicated in corruption scandals annually. However, critics have mocked the CCP’s anti-corruption campaign as merely scratching the surface of a much deeper systemic issue, using it as a political tool to control the bureaucratic system rather than addressing the root causes of corruption.
According to reports from mainland media, the number of provincial and ministerial-level officials investigated in the same period last year was 58, with a total of 73 for the entire year. The figures for the first three quarters of this year have already surpassed the total for the previous year. Furthermore, the 47 officials investigated in the third quarter alone not only exceeded half of the total for the year but also set a new record high for a single quarter since the 20th Party Congress.
Professor Feng Chongyi of the University of Technology Sydney in Australia has previously pointed out that the CCP’s anti-corruption campaign, while publicly hailed, has actually led to further entrenchment of corruption within the system. He argues that the anti-corruption measures serve more as a political tool to control the bureaucratic apparatus rather than to address the fundamental issues at play.