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Heads continue to roll as China’s anti-corruption drive enters second decade
- Xi Jinping’s graft-busting drive is now seeing officials who were personally appointed by the leader being brought down
- Corruption busters have tacitly admitted that the problem remains deep-rooted in Chinese society, raising questions about whether it can ever be eradicated
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China’s anti-corruption drive has entered its second decade with more high-profile casualties, prompting questions about the systemic nature of the problem and the fact that the Communist Party has yet to find an effective cure to eradicate the disease.
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Tens of thousands of officials have already been brought down since Xi launched the campaign on coming to power in 2012, and the latest crackdown has snared senior figures he personally selected for promotion.
At least 36 senior cadres – officials of vice-ministerial ranking or above – have been placed under investigation this year.
In July, the PLA Rocket Force, an elite unit responsible for China’s nuclear arsenal, saw its commander Li Yuchao and his deputy Zhang Zhenzhong replaced with no official reason given. Military sources have said that they were under investigation for corruption.
Last month Li Haitao, a former deputy governor of the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, was placed under investigation for “serious violations of [party] discipline and law”, the usual shorthand for corruption.
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Xi began the purge on taking power in 2012, a time when many in Beijing were worried that the party’s control over its cadres was too loose.
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