These cadres, whom the CCDI calls “tigers,” all belonged to a group known as “central management cadres,” meaning they held the rank of vice minister or above. A small number of them were slightly lower in rank but held key positions in key departments.
Of the 36 people detained in the first half of the year, eight held positions in the Communist Party or government agencies, and 20 were from local governments or party agencies, suggesting investigators have cast a wide net.
01:54
China fires Defense Minister Li Shang-fu without explanation after nearly two months absence
China fires Defense Minister Li Shang-fu without explanation after nearly two months absence
10:14
‘No one is safe’: China to purge record number of ‘tiger’ officials in 2023
‘No one is safe’: China to purge record number of ‘tiger’ officials in 2023
Liu Yuejing’s downfall was particularly shocking because she was known as one of China’s most skilled counter-drug officials, having handled a number of high-profile cases before becoming chairman of the China National Narcotics Control Commission in May 2015.
He became the country’s first counterterrorism chief in December 2015 after a wave of attacks across China, most notably the March 2014 rampage at a train station in Kunming, Yunnan province, where a knife-wielding gunman killed dozens of people. Beijing blamed the attack on separatists in Xinjiang.
A political scientist at Renmin University in Beijing said the investigations showed that past glory, outstanding expertise and political connections were no longer bargaining chips with disciplinary oversight bodies.
“Liu [Yuejing] “Guo was a police officer known for his crackdown on drugs. He was hailed as the driving force behind China’s success at the Winter Olympics… Tibet’s Wu Yingjie boasted about the stability of Tibet under his rule. But the anti-corruption team did not allow them to hide on their past glories,” said a political scientist, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“In the era of Xi Jinping, no one can get away with it. Investigators don’t care about officials’ past contributions. There is no immunity at ministerial level.”
