DECODING TEN YEARS OF ANTI-CORRUPTION DATA IN CHINA: PATTERNS OF INVESTIGATIONS & PUNISHMENTS

A defining feature of Xi Jinping’s leadership of the Communist Party of China is the anti-corruption campaign that has continued unabated since 2013. At its heart are the Eight Central Regulations, a formulation best defined as political rules of engagement and moral code of conduct. Armed with the Eight Central Regulations, China’s discipline inspection agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has investigated and punished millions of Party, state and non-state officials for violations over the last decade.

This Special Report examines the last ten years (2014-2024) of China’s anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping, with a particular focus on the Eight Central Regulations. These “Iron Rules” have reshaped the face of elite politics in China, prioritised work culture and political morality of officials. The outcomes reflect Xi Jinping’s conviction that unchecked corruption is an existential threat to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and stability of China.

The report is structured across six sections. It begins with a conceptual and historical overview of corruption and anti-corruption in China, followed by an in-depth analysis of the Eight Central Regulations, their ideological underpinnings, and their institutional implementation. The study then explores empirical patterns in investigations and punishments over the past decade before concluding with an assessment of the broader implications and likely future trajectory of the campaign.