As of December 18, 2025, a total of 24 corrupt officials at the vice-provincial level or above have been brought to trial, with 18 of them receiving the death penalty with a reprieve, 5 receiving life imprisonment, and 1 receiving a 15-year sentence. One common characteristic among them is that they were all promoted and favored by Xi Jinping.
Translated and Rewritten News Article:
In the year 2025, by December 18th, a total of 24 corrupt officials at the vice-provincial level or higher have faced trial. Among them, 18 have been sentenced to death with a reprieve, 5 have received life imprisonment, and 1 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. What stands out as a common trait among them is that they all garnered favor and promotion from Xi Jinping.
Leading the group is Qi Tongsheng, who was found guilty of accepting bribes exceeding 111 million yuan and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. Qi Tongsheng, the former Chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, was convicted by the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court in Guangxi on December 16, 2025. The court determined that from January 2004 to November 2021, Qi utilized his various positions to assist units and individuals in matters such as mining permit processing, project approvals, and project contracting, resulting in bribe amounts exceeding 111 million yuan.
Qi Tongsheng, aged 73, holds the record for being the oldest of the “tigers” investigated since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party.
Another example is Xu Zuo, who was found guilty of accepting bribes amounting to 147 million yuan and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Shenyang Intermediate People’s Court in Liaoning on December 12, 2025. From 1999 to 2024, Xu Zuo used his positions to benefit certain individuals in project acquisition and business collaboration, resulting in bribe amounts exceeding 147 million yuan.
Following the trend, Gou Zhongwen, the former Director of the State Sports General Administration, was convicted by the Yancheng Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu on December 8, 2025. Gou was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, with confiscation of all personal assets. The court found that from 2009 to 2024, Gou Zhongwen abused his roles to provide assistance in enterprise operations and project approvals, leading to illicit gains totaling over 236 million yuan.
Another case includes Li Gang, former head of the inspection and supervision team at the Central Organization Department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Li Gang was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 6 million yuan by the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei Province on December 3, 2025. Li Gang had used his positions from the first half of 1998 to June 2024 to assist units and individuals in areas such as enterprise operations, project contracting, land transfer, and job promotions, leading to bribe amounts exceeding 102 million yuan.
Among these individuals, there are those sentenced to death with a reprieve, life imprisonment, or significant prison terms. Their corruption cases have revealed patterns of abuse of power and gross misconduct, reflecting systemic vulnerabilities within the Communist Party’s leadership selection process.
The cases of these 24 high-ranking corrupt officials underscore the deep-rooted issues of corruption and misuse of power within the Chinese government. Despite continuous anti-corruption campaigns initiated by Xi Jinping, the recurrence of corrupt practices highlights the failures in governance and oversight mechanisms.
As the top leader of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping bears the ultimate responsibility for the systemic corruption and “sick promotion” of these officials, emphasizing the intrinsic link between absolute power and absolute corruption. The cycle of exposing corrupt officials only to have new ones emerge underscores the impending self-destruction of the Communist Party due to its unchecked power and lack of accountability.
The narrative unveils a chilling reality of corruption and impunity within the highest echelons of the Chinese government, showcasing a broken system rife with graft and nepotism that threatens the party’s integrity and long-term survival.