The Communist Party of China (CPC) has expanded its anti-corruption agenda to include officials who turn a blind eye to violations and avoid conflicts in order to preserve their own careers. The document provides for more than 200 measures to strengthen party discipline, control the use of power and combat corruption.
WHO THE NEW ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY WILL AFFECT
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the party paid particular attention to officials known as “lao hao ren” (lao hao ren), which can be translated as “good old souls”.
This is the term used for officials who avoid principled decisions, do not enter into conflicts and prefer not to notice violations. According to the publication's description, such behaviour is linked to a desire to preserve one's career and social standing.
WHAT THE PLENUM RESOLUTION PROVIDES FOR
As the state agency Xinhua reports, the adopted document consists of eight sections and contains more than 200 measures. It is aimed at strengthening control over the powers of officials, eliminating informal rules and increasing the accountability of party organisations.
A separate place is given to combating so-called hidden forms of corruption. In particular, this concerns the use of intermediaries, or “white gloves”, who help to conceal illegal connections and financial operations.
The document also provides for countering corrupt ties between officials and business representatives after civil servants leave their posts. The authorities have separately identified the risks associated with the internet, virtual currencies, cross-border capital flows and blockchain technology.
HOW THE DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED
The preparation of the resolution took more than eight months. The working group was headed by PRC President Xi Jinping.
During the drafting process, five full meetings of the working group and 35 specialised meetings were held. The draft document went through 36 editions.
During consultations, 1,173 proposals were received from regional bodies, departments and representatives of various fields. Of these, 208 proposals were included in the final text.
In addition, retired party leaders submitted their comments. The working group received 58 sets of proposals from former high-ranking state and party figures, as well as 111 appeals from regional and departmental structures.
THE SCALE OF THE ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN
At a press conference following the plenum, a representative of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Fuhai, reported on the scale of the work of law enforcement and supervisory bodies.
According to his data, since 2012, disciplinary and supervisory structures have registered 8.105 million cases and brought 7.922 million people to disciplinary responsibility. Among them were 963 officials under the control of the CPC Central Committee.
In 2025 alone, investigations affected 115 officials at ministerial level and above. In addition, disciplinary measures were applied to 627,000 people in cases of violations and corruption affecting the immediate interests of the population. In the same year, Chinese authorities began investigating more than 500 cases of cross-border corruption.
WHY THE CHANGES MATTER FOR CHINA'S LEADERSHIP
The new resolution was adopted approximately a year before the expected major personnel reshuffle in the CPC leadership in 2027. Against this backdrop, the strengthening of party discipline is becoming part of preparing the political system for the next stage of renewing the leadership structures.
At the same time, international analysts are drawing attention to a possible contradiction in such a policy. Strengthening control may increase the accountability of officials, but excessive pressure may also encourage bureaucratic caution and a reluctance to take independent decisions.
China's authorities state that strengthening discipline should not restrict the initiative of conscientious officials.
