NEW DELHI – During his 13 years in power, Xi Jinping has steadily tightened his grip on all levers of authority in China — the Communist Party of China, the state apparatus and the military — while expanding surveillance into virtually every aspect of society. Yet his recent purge of nine top-ranking generals, like those before it, shows that he still sees enemies everywhere.
After taking power in 2012, Xi launched a crackdown on corruption within the CPC and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The campaign was initially popular, because China’s one-party system is rife with graft and abuse of power. But it soon became clear that enforcement was highly selective — a tool not for building a more transparent or effective system, but for consolidating power in Xi’s hands. In Xi’s China, advancement depends less on competence or integrity than on earning the leader’s personal trust.
But even after more than a decade of promoting only loyalists, Xi continues to dismiss officials regularly, including top military commanders. According to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, nearly 5 million officials at all levels of government have been indicted for corruption under Xi. And this is to say nothing of those who simply disappear without explanation.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.