U.S. Exposes CCP Elite Corruption – Xi Jinping’s Family Mentioned

(Dajiyuan Illustration)

[People News] On March 20, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a long-overdue report titled Chinese Communist Party Leaders’ Wealth and Corrupt Activities, which had been delayed by over four months. The report highlights how the families of high-ranking CCP leaders, including Xi Jinping, have amassed significant wealth. It states that industry research provides evidence that as of 2024, the Xi family still retains millions of dollars in business interests and financial investments. “While current data does not directly link these investments to Xi himself, it is possible that these holdings are managed on his behalf,” the report notes.

Using case studies, the report describes the widespread and systemic corruption within the CCP and Chinese state institutions. It states that bribery can increase a CCP official’s legal income by four to six times, and that high-level officials obtain far greater illicit wealth through corruption than lower-ranking ones. One academic study on corruption in a Chinese city found that between 8% and 65% of officials (depending on rank) received unofficial income from bribery or embezzlement. Another study, along with a public perception survey, estimated that approximately 50% of CCP officials engage in corruption, particularly at the local level.

The report, which is based on publicly available sources, provides a structural analysis of corruption under CCP rule and highlights the regime’s lack of independent checks on public officials. It argues that Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign is primarily a party-led “securitization” effort aimed at maintaining the CCP’s domestic control.

This marks the first time the U.S. has officially disclosed details about corruption among the CCP’s top leadership. However, as a non-classified report relying on open-source research, it does not include intelligence assessments. Despite this, experts believe its publication signals that the U.S. is closely monitoring internal developments within the CCP and preparing for potential political upheaval.

The ODNI was required to submit the report under the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. It was originally scheduled for release in December 2023 but was delayed by intelligence agencies for unknown reasons. Paul Berkowitz, a China expert and former congressional aide, told The Washington Times that the seven-page report took two and a half years to complete. He noted that the U.S. intelligence community had ample time to conduct a comprehensive assessment of CCP leaders’ wealth but failed to do so. According to The Washington Times, a congressional aide revealed that CCP embassy officials had lobbied Congress to block the report’s release but were unsuccessful.

Dr. Zhong Zhidong, an assistant research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, stated that the report strikes at the core of the CCP’s vulnerabilities. He emphasized that corruption within the regime is a structural issue and that as the U.S. gathers more information, Beijing will grow increasingly wary.

The systemic corruption within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), characterized by widespread corruption at all levels and both horizontal and vertical collusion, is well recognized globally. The CCP's own decade-long campaign against high-level corruption, often referred to as 'tiger hunting,' has revealed enough shocking cases to draw international attention. For instance, in the last two years, several officials have been found guilty of embezzling billions, including: Li Jianping, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone, who embezzled over 3 billion yuan; Lai Xiaomin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd., who embezzled nearly 1.8 billion yuan; Bai Tianhui, General Manager of China Huarong International Holdings Co., Ltd., who embezzled over 1.1 billion yuan; Cai Guohua, Chairman of Hengfeng Bank, who embezzled nearly 1.2 billion yuan; and Sun Deshun, President of Citic Bank, along with Guo Jian, a member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration, who embezzled nearly 1 billion yuan... 

In 2023, the number of individuals sentenced to more than five years in prison or to death reached 5,579. During the closing session of the CCP's National People's Congress on March 11 this year, the 'Two Highs' work report presented data on the punishment of job-related crimes for 2024, indicating that disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies will file 877,000 cases related to anti-corruption in key sectors, detain 38,000 individuals, and impose administrative penalties on 889,000 people, including 94,000 from state-owned enterprises. 

Insiders have disclosed that the happiness index of high-ranking CCP officials is 50 times higher than that of wealthy Americans. There are claims that nearly all CCP officials engage in corruption, as their primary goal is to recoup bribes and amass wealth for themselves and their families. However, the anti-corruption campaigns over the past decade have largely served to stabilize the CCP's power and eliminate political adversaries, with many of those who have been ousted being casualties of internal power struggles.

The United States has now officially revealed some aspects of the corruption issues within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has surprised the international community. Shen Mingshi, a researcher at the Taiwan National Defense Security Research Institute, noted that the timing of this report's release coincides with the apparent emergence of a new power struggle among various factions within the military under Xi Jinping. Recently, reports have surfaced about the arrest of He Weidong, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Although this has not been confirmed, the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session will address the power arrangements at the upper echelons of the CCP, as well as military power dynamics. Given China's economic challenges, the internal power struggles within the CCP are likely to be crucial for understanding the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Analysts have indicated that high-ranking CCP officials and their families have long been transferring funds obtained through corruption abroad. U.S. intelligence agencies are likely gathering these corruption-related documents in secret, intending to use them as leverage against the CCP amid rising U.S.-China tensions. The information disclosed in this report is believed to be just the tip of the iceberg. Regardless, the involvement of Xi and his close associates and family in corruption, which is known among CCP officials, complicates his ability to secure reasonable support when targeting others. If the United States were to fully expose the assets and bank accounts of CCP officials in the U.S., and if this information reached the Chinese populace, it could deliver a devastating blow to the legitimacy and legality of the CCP regime.