China Poised to Break Annual Anti-Corruption Record as Top Watchdog Snares High-Level Officials

China is poised to surpass its 2023 record for high-level anti-corruption arrests as its leading oversight body has apprehended 44 officials. The recent detention of four officials in the last two weeks has raised the tally to the highest from January to September, just one shy of the annual record of 45 arrests set earlier this year.

The most recent high-ranking official to be caught is, once again, from within the organization itself—a senior inspector at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which is China's premier agency for political discipline and anti-corruption.

On Monday, the CCDI revealed that Li is currently facing an investigation for potential severe breaches of discipline and legal infractions, often an official shorthand implying corruption.

In the past two weeks, investigations have been launched against three additional high-ranking officials on comparable allegations.

The individuals are Cao Xingxin, who holds the position of deputy general manager at China Unicom, a major state-owned telecommunications company; Sun Yuning, serving as deputy director of the General Administration of Customs; and Du Yubo, who formerly served as the deputy minister of education.