China maintains strong momentum in anti-corruption drive

BEIJING -- As China enters 2026 with strong development momentum, anti-corruption remains a key priority as the Communist Party of China (CPC) steers the country forward.

Over the past year, China's rigorous anti-corruption campaign pressed ahead relentlessly, with authorities vowing "no pause or retreat" as they maintained efforts to root out graft and misconduct.

The country's anti-corruption watchdogs kept a close watch on key senior officials, and optimized inspections to ensure power operates under strict oversight.

During the entire year, 65 centrally administered officials, mostly at the ministerial level or above, were placed under investigation for corruption, with nine of the cases initiated in December alone, according to information released on the website of China's top anti-corruption authorities.

Prominent names on the list of probed officials included Jiang Chaoliang, Jin Xiangjun, Lan Tianli, Liu Hui, Yi Huiman, and Zhang Shiping.

The crackdown on corruption also made continuous progress in areas impacting the daily lives of ordinary people. From January to November, 536,000 low-ranking officials had been disciplined, with 20,000 referred for prosecution.

In the global hunt for corrupt fugitives and stolen assets, China scored repeated victories. Through the "Sky Net" operation, the country repatriated 782 fugitives and recovered 23.66 billion yuan (about $3.38 billion) in illicit assets in just 11 months.

In July, Zhou Jinghua, one of the "100 most-wanted" corruption suspects sought through an Interpol Red Notice at China's request, was extradited from Thailand, becoming the last fugitive in Asia apprehended under the campaign.

In the same month, Liang Jinwen, one of the earliest top 100 Red Notice fugitives, returned to China and turned himself in after 28 years at large overseas. He has fully returned the assets he was suspected of taking before fleeing abroad in 1996.

Throughout the year, the CPC spared no effort to rectify conduct. In March, it launched a four-month education campaign to urge its around 100 million members to bolster compliance with a code of conduct.

Disciplinary watchdogs have publicly released typical cases of violations of the Party's code of conduct, known as the eight-point rules, explicitly naming the individuals involved.

In 2025, the CPC completed inspections across all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

China has also strengthened its institutional framework. In June, the revised Supervision Law came into effect, which further expanded supervisory powers and removed institutional bottlenecks, demonstrating a clear and firm stance on severely punishing corruption.