China Launches Year-Long Deepened Anti-Organized Crime Campaign
China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission has formally outlined the next phase of the nation’s campaign against organized crime, announcing a one-year deepened special campaign that began in July 2026. The initiative, deployed by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, aims to address evolving criminal patterns including cyber-enabled organized crime and “soft violence” tactics, according to People’s Daily.
Context: A Campaign in Evolution
The deepened campaign builds on more than a decade of anti-organized crime efforts. The original three-year special campaign (2018-2020) dismantled 3,644 organized crime groups and 11,675 criminal syndicates, arresting 237,000 suspects—a number 1.3 times the total of the previous decade. Following the campaign’s normalization phase beginning in 2021, the Anti-Organized Crime Law took effect on May 1, 2022, providing a comprehensive legal framework for ongoing enforcement.
Official statistics show significant progress. In 2025, national criminal cases fell 12.8% year-on-year to the lowest level this century, while homicide cases dropped 8.7% to a similar historic low. Public satisfaction with anti-organized crime efforts reached 94.55%, maintaining above 92% for seven consecutive years, and the public sense of security stood at 98.23%.
New Targets: Cyber Crime and ‘Soft Violence’
The new campaign reflects a strategic shift in response to changing criminal tactics. As CCTV News reported, authorities note that organized crime is increasingly moving “from offline to online, from overt to covert, from hard violence to soft violence, and from traditional fields to non-traditional fields and emerging industries.”
The campaign specifically targets cyber-enabled organized crime, including illegal lending, malicious claims, illegal debt collection, labor fraud, online public opinion extortion, and “cyber water army” harassment. It also targets “soft violence” tactics—organized harassment, threats, intimidation, and extortion conducted through non-physical means.
Traditional targets remain in scope, including so-called “village tyrants,” “township tyrants,” “sand tyrants,” “mine tyrants,” “street tyrants,” and “market tyrants.” The campaign also targets criminal groups that combine drugs, gambling, and prostitution, as well as those exploiting minors.
Legal Standards and Enforcement
Politburo member and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Chen Wenqing chaired the national deployment video conference, with State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong presiding. Procurator-General Zhang Jun and Supreme People’s Court President Ying Yong also attended, underscoring the campaign’s cross-institutional scope, as Guancha reported.
Authorities emphasized strict adherence to legal procedures. The campaign will operate under the Criminal Law, the Anti-Organized Crime Law, and relevant judicial interpretations, following principles including legality, presumption of innocence, and evidence-based adjudication. As officials stated, the goal is to ensure “every case is handled as an ironclad case that can withstand the test of law and history.”
A central principle of the campaign, as articulated by officials, is: “If it is organized crime, not one should be missed; if it is not organized crime, not one should be fabricated.”
Anti-Corruption Integration
The campaign maintains a simultaneous focus on rooting out corruption and “protective umbrellas” behind organized crime. Authorities will strengthen rapid information-sharing mechanisms between disciplinary inspection agencies and political-legal organs, targeting corrupt officials who shield criminal networks. Cases where organized crime and corruption are deeply intertwined will receive priority attention.
Reporting Channels and Prevention
Citizens can report suspected organized crime through the national “12337” online platform, channels published by the Ministry of Public Security and the National Bureau of Letters and Calls, provincial anti-crime offices, and industry regulators. Authorities pledged to protect whistleblowers and provide rewards for verified reports.
The campaign also emphasizes prevention. As Guangming Daily reported, efforts will focus on strengthening network platform accountability, cutting off upstream and downstream criminal supply chains, and enhancing oversight of telecom operators, banks, and internet companies. Rural governance will be reinforced through vetting mechanisms for village committee leadership to prevent organized crime from infiltrating grassroots communities.
What to Watch
As the one-year campaign unfolds, observers will monitor its effectiveness in addressing the increasingly sophisticated, technology-enabled forms of organized crime. The campaign’s success will depend on balancing aggressive enforcement with the legal safeguards authorities have pledged to uphold—a tension that will define China’s approach to public security in the coming year.