Beijing’s top Communist Party disciplinary body has issued a strong call to intensify the fight against corruption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period from 2026 to 2030. This directive emerged from the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), held in the Chinese capital from Monday to Wednesday.
President Xi Jinping, who also serves as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the session and delivered a key address. According to state media Xinhua, Xi stressed the critical need to bolster party discipline and promote clean governance amid evolving challenges.
The party’s official mouthpiece, People’s Daily, underscored on Tuesday that while economic growth and technological advancement remain priorities, preserving the party’s impeccable image tops the agenda. ‘President Xi has consistently viewed corruption as having no place in China,’ the paper stated. ‘He likens it to a cancer threatening the vitality of the world’s largest Marxist ruling party.’
Under Xi’s leadership since 2012, China has launched unprecedented anti-corruption measures, ensuring the CPC serves the broader interests of the people and nation rather than personal gains. The campaign extends beyond financial misconduct to encompass mismanagement, resource wastage, delays, and negligence.
Reports highlight a surge in actions, with a record 65 senior officials detained in 2025, up 12% from 58 in 2024—the highest in over a decade. CCDI data shows a steady rise: 18 in 2020, 25 in 2021, 32 in 2022, 45 in 2023, and now 65. This escalation reflects broader crackdowns across political, financial, and military sectors.
The military has seen massive purges, including the ousting of former Central Military Commission Vice Chairman He Weidong among record numbers of leaders. This occurs against the backdrop of rapid military modernization, signaling Beijing’s deep concerns over graft in the armed forces.
Recent accelerations reveal long-embedded corruption while demonstrating Beijing’s resolve to tighten control amid sluggish economic growth, policy hurdles, and geopolitical tensions. Targets span provincial leaders, central ministries, state firms, top universities, and especially finance, where the fall of former securities regulator Yi Huiman rattled fragile investor confidence.
As China eyes its next five-year horizon, this renewed anti-corruption vigor aims to safeguard stability and public trust, positioning the CPC for sustained leadership in a complex global landscape.