Since the beginning of his first term, President Xi Jinping has prioritized a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has fundamentally altered the Chinese political environment. The initiative, which targets both high-ranking officials and lower-level bureaucrats, is widely considered the signature policy of his tenure. According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the campaign has become so central to the Communist Party’s governance that it has required constant public messaging to maintain legitimacy and explain the removal of senior officials.

The campaign has been characterized by its intensity and the high profile of those targeted. While the government frames these actions as a necessary effort to clean up the party and ensure its survival, international observers often debate the extent to which the campaign serves as a tool for political consolidation. The SCMP notes that in the early years of the crackdown, authorities faced the challenge of justifying the sudden and aggressive removal of powerful figures to a public that was accustomed to a different pace of political discipline. The ongoing data project aims to quantify the scale of these investigations, providing a clearer picture of how the anti-graft drive has permeated various levels of the Chinese state over the last decade. As the policy continues to evolve, it remains the primary mechanism through which the current leadership exerts control and enforces party discipline.