[Correspondent Diary] Punishment for Vice Chairman Receiving Bribes from Chinese Cryptocurrency Company

After the 6th Plenum, Anti-Corruption Efforts Expected to Intensify... Xi Jinping's Long-Term Rule Follow-Up
People's Daily Emphasizes CCP Leadership's 'Resolute Fight Against Corruption'

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] As the 6th Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (6th Plenum), one of the major procedures for Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China, to maintain long-term rule, has concluded, follow-up work is expected to be in full swing.

Photo by Global Times capture

In fact, on the 12th, the day after the 6th Plenum, the State Council of China held a Party Committee meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang to study the spirit of the 6th Plenum and discuss the next steps. The meeting was attended by top-level figures in the economic, social, and diplomatic fields, including Vice Premiers Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, and Liu He, giving weight to the results of the 6th Plenum.

The core of this 6th Plenum is the third "historical resolution." The Communist Party of China previously adopted resolutions on various past issues at the 6th Plenary Session of the 6th Central Committee in 1945 ("Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party") covering the period from the Party's founding to the Anti-Japanese War, and at the 6th Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in 1981 ("Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China") addressing the errors of the Cultural Revolution. The 1945 historical resolution symbolizes the Mao Zedong era, and the 1981 resolution symbolizes the Deng Xiaoping era. This third historical resolution signifies that President Xi is a leader on par with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.

The communiqu? containing the results of the 6th Plenum stated, "The Party's establishment of Comrade Xi Jinping as the core of the Party Central Committee and the whole Party, and the core position of the Party, as well as the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, reflects the common aspiration of the entire people and holds decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

This third historical resolution serves as the historical and theoretical foundation for President Xi's long-term rule. Until the 20th Party Congress scheduled for the second half of next year (October or November), the Communist Party of China and its leadership are expected to vigorously promote the legitimacy of Xi's third term.

In this process, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign under the pretext of a war against corruption is expected to follow. On the 8th, the People's Daily published an article titled "Resolute Fight Against Corruption (An Important Decision in the New Era)," stating that before governing the country, the Party must first be strictly governed. Since Xi's inauguration, extensive investigations into corruption have been conducted, and corresponding measures have been taken. This article is interpreted as hinting at a large-scale purge of Party officials and executives of state-owned enterprises ahead of the 20th Party Congress.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 14th, the People's Daily reported that the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-corruption agency of the Communist Party of China, conducted an investigation into Xiao Yi, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of Guangxi Province, uncovering serious violations of Party discipline and laws. Former member Xiao Yi is accused of accepting bribes from virtual currency operators, including Bitcoin, and supporting their cryptocurrency mining activities. The People's Daily reported that Xiao Yi was expelled from the Party and dismissed after approval by the Party Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Standing Committee, and was handed over to prosecutors. It also stated that the bribes and other illicit gains will be confiscated and that he will be punished according to the law.

Earlier this month, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Sun Lijun, was also arrested. Sun Lijun was stripped of his Party positions and public office on charges of selling official positions and factional politics within the Party.

The People's Daily reported that during President Xi's tenure, an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign in the history of the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China has been waged.

Meanwhile, in August, the National People's Congress held its 30th session and passed the "Supervisory Law of the People's Republic of China." This law was introduced to rectify corruption among officials and bureaucrats.

In this context, some interpret this as a kind of reign of terror under the guise of anti-corruption to consolidate President Xi's power. When Xi rose to General Secretary at the 18th Party Congress in 2012, the Chinese leadership also waged a large-scale war against corruption. At that time, many of Xi's political rivals, such as Bo Xilai, were purged.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.