Fighting Corruption

Fighting corruption is no easy task.

By starting with officials' indulgence in lavish banquets - a visible symbol of excess and privilege - Xi made a strategic first strike that addresses public discontent.

Even mooncakes were put in the spotlight. A traditional treat during the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes had, at the height of the bribe-giving culture, morphed into a convenient cover for bribery.

Xi applauded the graft-busters' attention to mooncakes. "Targeting mooncakes may seem trivial, but it's actually about tackling the corruption hidden behind such practices," he said.

Observers describe Xi's strategy as tackling issues one by one, making steady progress.

By targeting seemingly small matters such as the misuse of public funds for mooncakes, greeting cards, fireworks and so on, the effort moved from simple to complex, gradually making breakthroughs.

To add more weight to the eight-point rules, the Party's top disciplinary watchdog regularly names and shames violators and announces the punishments they receive to deter others.

Such measures serve not only as punishment but also as a wake-up call, pulling offenders back before minor infractions spiral into more serious wrongdoing or even criminal acts.

In a decade, about 1.1 million people were reminded, reprimanded, or punished for violating the rules.

Xi's decision to target misconduct was a well-thought-out move. With misconduct and corruption stemming from the same root, the rules represented a decisive first blow at the heart of the problem.

After assuming the top position, Xi launched an unprecedented anti-corruption storm that has swept every corner of public office, netting both high-flying "tigers" and lower-level "flies."

Some of the most senior officials - including former members of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee, top military brass, and retirees who left their leading positions years ago - have been brought to justice.

Fully aware that corruption is an issue the people resent most, Xi said: "If we don't offend a few thousand corrupt officials, we'll fail 1.4 billion Chinese people."

An overwhelming victory had been achieved, but Xi warned that the fight against corruption and misconduct would never end.

Indeed, new forms of practices dodging the eight-point rules have continuously emerged.

Some officials tried to bypass hotels and restaurants to indulge in luxury in private villas and secluded rural retreats. A few even sought extravagance abroad.

Xi used a metaphor to emphasize the long-term nature of improving conduct: "Just as a room needs regular cleaning, the dust in our minds must be cleared away regularly."

At times, he was more direct, saying that "if 10 years aren't enough, then 20 years; if 20 years aren't enough, then 30 years."

Transformation

The ban on extravagant official receptions, along with restrictions on expenses for official overseas visits and vehicle use, eased long-standing public frustration. Once-symbolic perks of officialdom - lavish banquets, wasteful junkets and personal use of official vehicles - have largely faded.

With the eight-point rules firmly in place, transparency has improved as government departments and agencies continue to upgrade their practices for regularly disclosing expenses.

The focus of the public has also shifted, from outrage over excess to scrutinizing how the money saved from curbing extravagance is being reinvested.

Wang Jixia, a former official overseeing vegetable cultivation in Laoling, Shandong Province, was all too familiar with the health problems commonly afflicting government officials: fatty liver, high blood pressure, and soaring cholesterol - all consequences of endless rounds of lavish banquets.

"Social drinking twice a day seemed part of the job," he recalled.

But things are different now.

The crackdown on extravagant receptions allowed Wang to refocus on his real work. He had more time to visit farmers to assess vegetable production. His health also improved.

Xi also noted such lifestyle changes among officials.

"Instead of attending lavish events and downing drinks, many officials now feel a renewed sense of relief," he once said at a meeting.

And the impact of the eight-point rules goes beyond that. As civil servants enhanced their awareness to serve the populace, their push to streamline administration picked up pace, saving time and trouble for businesses and the public.

This transformation has reshaped social norms as well. Simplicity is now valued over extravagance. Restaurants have shifted to offering smaller portions, with diners readily packing up leftovers. Foods that were once overpriced have become affordable again.

Even weddings and funerals are reducing extravagant banquets, choosing simpler and more budget-friendly arrangements instead. Likewise, agencies and institutions now favour modest venues over luxury hotels or tourist resorts for conferences.

The eight-point rules have helped restore public trust. A recent poll revealed that 94.9 per cent of respondents approved of the rules.

"We must show that we are not only capable of delivering results but also doing so with genuine dedication," Xi said. "Only then can we truly earn the trust of the people."

Hammering nails

Xi has transformed the Party and the country through the eight-point rules. Yet, he remains keenly aware that the mission is far from accomplished.

"Certain areas have grown lax, some blind spots remain unaddressed, and unhealthy practices have begun to resurge," Xi noted last week during his inspection tour.

One high-profile case in December 2022 underscored the persistence of misconduct.

Six senior officials in northwest China's Qinghai Province held a drinking spree in the dormitory of the provincial Party School, in a blatant violation of rules.

The hours-long drinking session led to severe consequences the next day. One of the officials was hospitalized due to a heart attack, while another died from alcohol intoxication.

Investigations revealed that these officials had formed a clique over the years of socializing, leveraging their positions to exchange favours. They all received severe punishments.

Following the 20th CPC National Congress in late 2022, China's disciplinary agencies have handled 768,000 cases of malpractice and corruption at the grassroots level, imposing penalties on 628,000 officials.

In January this year alone, disciplinary agencies nationwide investigated and addressed 16,430 cases of violations of the eight-point rules.

"Conduct issues are recurrent and deeply entrenched; they cannot be resolved overnight or eradicated through a single decisive campaign. We must avoid superficial, short-lived efforts that fade like a passing gust of wind," Xi has warned.

At a top-level anti-corruption meeting in January, Xi identified the deeply intertwined nature of misconduct and corruption as a "prominent problem" and called for an integrated crackdown.

The latest education campaign marks Xi's renewed push to tackle the issue.

During talks with local officials last week, he cautioned against mere surface-level compliance, stressing that such an approach runs counter to the eight-point rules themselves.

"Like hammering a nail, we must strike it a few more times," he said, "until the change becomes deeply ingrained in people's behaviour and way of thinking."

* This article was originally published in https://english.news.cn/

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.