Xi Jinping Stresses Keeping Up Anti-corruption Efforts, Ensuring No Safe Haven for Corrupt Elements

On Friday, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made strategic plans for advancing the fight against corruption with greater clarity and resolve at the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. He stressed the need to maintain a high-pressure stance without wavering, to investigate and punish every instance of corruption, and to eradicate wrongdoing thoroughly, leaving corrupt individuals with no place to hide.

The fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, listed "strengthening discipline enforcement and law enforcement for the people, and deepening the centralized efforts to address misconduct and corruption that occur at the people’s doorstep" as a key task for 2026.

After studying and understanding the essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, participants expressed that they will take the speech as their guide, implement the plenary session’s work arrangements, continue to deepen the centralized efforts to address misconduct and corruption that occur at the people’s doorstep, persist in fighting for the people, severely punish "flies and ants"-type corruption, rectify entrenched malpractices, and ensure that the fruits of modernization benefit all people more broadly and fairly.

"Addressing misconduct and corruption that occur at the people’s doorstep is an important measure for discipline inspection and supervision agencies to uphold the 'Two Upholds' and adhere to the people-centered philosophy," said Zhang Zhong, a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and director of the Provincial Supervisory Commission. He emphasized the need to firmly grasp the "key link," tighten and solidify the responsibility for addressing these issues, and urge Party committees, governments, and functional departments to earnestly fulfill their primary responsibilities, tightening the screws of accountability at every level to prevent slackening or weariness. Efforts should focus on areas that directly benefit the people, tailoring key projects and livelihood initiatives to local conditions, and advancing improvements in areas such as high-standard farmland construction and outsourced services in livelihood sectors. A holistic approach should be taken, addressing common industry-wide and regional issues and underlying contradictions, thoroughly resolving problems such as policy failures, overlapping responsibilities, and regulatory gaps, improving the grassroots oversight system, and safeguarding the people’s interests in a sustained and long-term manner.

"The people feel the impact of misconduct and corruption at their doorstep most directly. By strictly investigating what the people detest and resolutely curbing the practices they abhor, we can deliver tangible benefits to the people and win their hearts for our Party," said Wang Xingning, a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and director of the Provincial Supervisory Commission. He noted the need to continue deepening nationwide projects, identify key local initiatives based on regional conditions, focus on practical matters in areas such as employment, social security, housing, and healthcare, and strengthen assessment and inspection to further ensure the people feel the changes and benefit from them. A high-pressure stance must be maintained, with a focus on key issues such as embezzlement, misappropriation, false claims, and bribery, while improving channels for public complaints and mechanisms for transferring leads. Problematic leads should be analyzed and scrutinized repeatedly, and the investigation and handling of cases should be dynamically assessed. Comprehensive methods, such as elevating cases for handling, direct investigation, and designated jurisdiction, should be used to break through a batch of "hard cases" and "nail cases."

"Discipline inspection and supervision agencies must fully leverage their functions and roles, making great efforts to ensure that centralized efforts yield more tangible and perceptible results for the people," said Song Yijia, a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and director of the Municipal Supervisory Commission. She stated that they will continue to investigate and handle a batch of high-impact, weighty, and widely applauded typical cases to create a strong deterrent. Efforts to address issues openly will be deepened, encouraging the people to actively participate and supervise, and carrying out targeted, project-based improvements for recurring and widespread problems. A holistic approach will be maintained, analyzing the deeper causes behind issues, such as power constraints, institutional gaps, and regulatory blind spots, and urging functional departments to undertake systematic governance with a reform-oriented mindset. Technological empowerment will be strengthened to build a comprehensive oversight system, further standardize the exercise of power, and improve long-term mechanisms for safeguarding the people’s interests, such as streamlining administration, reducing fees, and optimizing services, ensuring that improvements are thorough, rectifications are in place, and governance reaches the root causes.

"Addressing misconduct and corruption that occur at the people’s doorstep is a systematic project that requires sound coordination mechanisms linking upper and lower levels and horizontally integrating efforts to pool resources and strength," said Yang Guangzhong, secretary of the Jinan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and director of the Municipal Supervisory Commission in Shandong Province. He emphasized the need to deepen the use of mechanisms such as "office-group-local" coordination, integrated inspections, and district collaboration to foster a pattern of joint management and coordinated advancement. A "people-identify problems, departments provide solutions, discipline commissions supervise, and society evaluates" mechanism will be implemented, with a focus on addressing the pressing concerns of the people. Investigation and handling of cases will be prioritized, leveraging methods such as leadership-led case handling and direct oversight. Efforts will focus on the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s policies regarding rural revitalization and initiatives to benefit the people, resolutely severing the "black hands" that reach for the people’s interests.

Punishing "flies and ants"-type corruption requires a focus on the grassroots level. The grassroots oversight system must be continuously improved to advance the full and rigorous governance of the Party at the grassroots level. Zhang Jihui, secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and director of the Municipal Supervisory Commission in Liaoning Province, stated that efforts will focus on enhancing grassroots oversight capabilities, consolidating and expanding the achievements of reforms in the discipline inspection and supervision system, establishing and improving exchange and training mechanisms, and optimizing the structure and echelon of personnel. The grassroots oversight system will be refined, collaborative mechanisms will be explored and innovated, channels for public oversight will be improved, and the integration of grassroots oversight with grassroots governance will be promoted. Mechanisms for timely detection of problems, accurate correction of deviations, and strengthening accountability will be continuously improved to enhance the quality and effectiveness of grassroots discipline inspection and supervision work. "By connecting the nerve endings and stimulating dynamism and vitality, we will vigorously advance the deepening of improvement efforts in the main battlefield at the county level, elevate governance standards, and truly benefit the people, promote development, and strengthen the grassroots." (Liaoxin News Agency)