China’s sweeping anti-corruption drive has entered a notable new phase with the country’s top disciplinary body announcing an investigation into Wang Xiangxi, the sitting minister of emergency management, for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China’s powerful anti-graft watchdog, disclosed the probe on Saturday without offering further details, following its standard practice in such cases. The move is striking because investigations into serving ministers remain relatively uncommon in China’s political system, underscoring the breadth and intensity of the current campaign. Wang, who also serves as a Communist Party secretary, has been in office since July 2022 after previously leading the state-owned National Energy Investment Corporation, one of the country’s largest power generators.
Xi Jinping anti-corruption campaign expands scrutiny across military, regions, and state institutions
The investigation into Wang comes against the backdrop of President Xi Jinping’s long-running and highly institutionalized anti-corruption effort, which has continued to reach deep into senior levels of government and the military. Earlier this month, Xi characterized the anti-graft drive as a struggle the country could not afford to lose, reflecting the leadership’s sustained emphasis on discipline within the party-state system. Official data showed that a record 65 high-ranking officials were placed under investigation last year, while oversight has increasingly extended to former university leaders and executives of state-owned enterprises.
The current phase of scrutiny has also touched China’s defense establishment. Last week, the Ministry of National Defense announced an investigation into Zhang Youxia, the country’s top general and the second-most senior figure in the military hierarchy after Xi. This development further highlighted the campaign’s reach across strategic sectors of governance.
Despite the announcement of the probe, Wang continued to appear in official settings earlier this week. According to a release from the Ministry of Emergency Management, he attended a routine internal meeting where officials participated in structured self-criticism sessions, a long-standing party practice. In a separate development, state-owned China Daily reported that Sun Shaocheng, the former Communist Party secretary of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is also under investigation, reinforcing the sense of a broad and ongoing enforcement effort.
The information was reported by David Kirton in Shenzhen, China, and edited by William Mall, based on statements from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and coverage by China Daily.