412,000 Disciplined in China Anti-Graft Campaign in H1 2026
China’s anti-corruption authorities disciplined 412,000 people in the first half of 2026, including 74 officials at the provincial and ministerial level or above, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The figures, released on July 25, signal that President Xi Jinping’s signature anti-graft campaign, now in its second decade, is accelerating rather than abating.
Context
Since Xi launched the anti-corruption drive in late 2012, the campaign has disciplined millions of officials at every level of the party and state apparatus. In January 2026, the fifth plenary session of the 20th CCDI called for reinforced efforts during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), underscoring that the campaign would remain a central priority.
Key Statistics
The semi-annual report, published by the CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission, revealed that disciplinary agencies filed 538,000 cases nationwide in H1 2026. They received 2.188 million letters and visits from the public, of which 562,000 were tip-offs or complaints.
The breakdown of disciplined officials by rank illustrates the campaign’s dual focus on high-ranking “tigers” and low-level “flies”:
- 74 provincial/ministerial-level officials or above
- 2,274 bureau/department-level officials
- 18,000 county/section-level officials
- 56,000 township/town-level officials
- 56,000 general cadres
- 280,000 rural, enterprise, and other personnel
In a striking indicator of intensification, the number of senior officials disciplined in H1 2026 (74) already exceeds the full-year total for 2025 (69).
Four Forms of Discipline
The CCDI employed its graduated “four forms” system, handling 843,000 person-times. The first form — criticism and education — accounted for 424,000 cases (50.4 percent), while light disciplinary sanctions (the second form) covered 341,000 (40.4 percent). Heavy sanctions and criminal prosecutions accounted for 41,000 (4.9 percent) and 36,000 (4.3 percent) respectively.
High-Profile Cases
Three senior figures faced corruption proceedings in H1 2026, according to legal analysis by Arnold & Porter.
Huiman Yi, former Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (2019–2024), was expelled from the Communist Party on April 30. Investigators found he abused regulatory authority in IPO approvals and financing activities while accepting substantial bribes and allowing relatives to profit from his influence.
Chaoliang Jiang, former Communist Party Secretary of Hubei Province, was prosecuted for bribery on March 17. His case reaches back more than 30 years to his time in the financial sector and has been publicly labeled “family-style corruption,” with relatives allegedly acting as conduits for concealed benefits.
Xingrui Ma, former Politburo member and Party Secretary of Xinjiang, was expelled from the Party on July 14 for abusing his position in business operations, engineering projects, and personnel matters.
Analysis: An Accelerating Campaign
The H1 2026 data suggests the anti-corruption campaign is entering a new phase of intensity. The annualized pace of cases filed — approximately 1.076 million — could exceed the 1.012 million recorded in all of 2025. At the highest levels, the acceleration is particularly pronounced.
The legal framework is also evolving. In April 2026, the Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate issued their first major update in a decade to the judicial interpretation on corruption and bribery (Interpretation II), lowering thresholds for private-sector crimes and expanding corporate liability. Separately, the revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law now explicitly prohibits accepting bribes and includes a “long-arm jurisdiction” clause for extraterritorial enforcement.
Authorities also investigated 19,000 individuals for offering bribes and transferred 1,938 for prosecution, reflecting the intensified focus on both sides of corrupt transactions.
What’s Next
With the 15th Five-Year Plan underway and the 20th Party Congress’s mandate for enhanced scrutiny of family-related corruption still in effect, observers expect the campaign to maintain its current pace through the second half of 2026. Key questions include how the new judicial interpretation will affect prosecution rates and whether the revised AUCL’s extraterritorial provisions will lead to enforcement actions against multinational corporations operating in or with China.