Xi Jinping's Anti-Corruption Campaign
What began as a standard anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping has evolved into an institutional initiative called 'self-revolution,' with the ultimate goal of ensuring the Chinese Communist Party's eternal survival. According to analysts Neil Thomas and Shenyu Wang from the Asia Society Policy Institute, China's party disciplinary bodies opened over one million cases in 2025—nearly seven times more than in the year Xi first assumed leadership.
In January 2025, Xi removed Generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Central Military Commission. By early April, former Xinjiang chief Ma Xingrui had come under investigation. For the first time since the post-Mao era, three Politburo members were purged within a single five-year term. The number of officials at the ministerial level or above who were removed dropped from 26 during Xi's first term to 13 in his second. However, in his second term, no members of the Politburo or the Central Military Commission were ousted.
Outcomes of the Anti-Corruption Campaign
In 2018, China established the National Supervision Commission and introduced permanent disciplinary offices in all central agencies and ministries. Xi frequently references a 9th-century essay on the fall of the Qin dynasty, which attributes the collapse largely to internal corruption. World Bank governance indicators show that China now ranks above the average for upper-middle-income countries in terms of corruption control and government effectiveness.
The disciplinary crackdown has also yielded environmental benefits, reducing urban air pollution by approximately 20.3%. Anti-corruption efforts in impoverished counties have curbed arbitrary behavior by officials and improved household access to formal credit and social welfare. Yet the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan exposed how fear of punishment for reporting bad news can delay a response to emerging threats.
Xi Jinping believes that 'if I do not write comments on reports, nothing gets done.'
Analysts note that under tight centralization, officials often avoid risks, engage in performative compliance, and conceal negative information. This dynamic also shapes Beijing's foreign policy, where the leader may pursue an assertive external stance but 'is most likely to avoid truly high-risk moves.' Recent purges within the military could complicate warfighting capabilities in the near term.
Xi's deeper strategy involves building an alternative operating system for authoritarian governance, with 'self-revolution' serving as a substitute for succession planning.
Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign reflects not only domestic policy but also its broader implications for governance in China. On one hand, stronger corruption control can positively influence socioeconomic outcomes. On the other, heavy centralization of power may introduce risks during crises, as the COVID-19 case demonstrated. In the current political climate, this could strain relations with other countries as China maintains a tough foreign policy while preserving internal stability.
As Xi Jinping's anti-corruption efforts intensify, they reveal deeper vulnerabilities within the party's leadership structure. For a closer look at how these massive purges of high-ranking officials are shaping China's political landscape and exposing cracks in the image of stability, read more about the implications in our detailed analysis of Xi Jinping's challenges.