How China’s anti-corruption fight became Xi Jinping’s most important policy
The South China Morning Post has launched a major data project diving into President Xi Jinping’s signature anti-graft campaign. In the first part of a series accompanying the data project, Phoebe Zhang looks at how the campaign became one of the Communist Party’s most important policies. In the early years of President Xi Jinping’s first term, when graft fighters were taking down senior officials in ways that raised eyebrows, Chinese authorities constantly had to remind the public that the...
Where: China
Exact coordinates
china: 35.860, 104.200
Read it at South China Morning Post See this on the map
What might happen next? AI-generated
These scenarios are written by an AI language model from the headline and summary above. They are not predictions from the newsroom, and they are not evidence of anything. Every one is given a deadline and checked against later coverage, and the score is published on the ledger — including the ones that miss.
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Awaiting deadline 35% Public Fatigue and Policy Softening
The relentless pace of high-profile arrests generates public weariness and cynicism. The Party leadership responds to domestic pressure by issuing guidelines that restrict the targeting of mid-level officials, signaling a tactical slowing of the pace.
Watch for: The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) issues a public memo clarifying scope limitations on 'tigers and flies' operations. · A major state-run media outlet publishes a feature explicitly praising 'stability over speed' in governance.
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Awaiting deadline 30% Internal Purge Deepening
The anti-corruption campaign continues its relentless trajectory, moving beyond mere graft to target political rivals suspected of hoarding power. This results in the public announcement of a high-ranking, non-graft related dismissal.
Watch for: Xi Jinping's official spokesperson confirms the removal of a senior official citing 'ideological inconsistency' rather than corruption. · The National People's Congress passes a specialized resolution on Party discipline with unprecedented severity.
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Awaiting deadline 20% External Focus Shift (Counter-Trajectory)
Faced with international criticism regarding the scope and political nature of the purges, the CCP deliberately pivots public messaging away from internal discipline and towards external economic competitiveness and technological dominance.
Watch for: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts a high-level economic forum featuring a direct statement from a top Politburo member emphasizing global market strategy. · State media shifts its lead coverage from disciplinary actions to breakthroughs in domestic AI research.
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Awaiting deadline 15% Localized Resistance/Leaks
Increased internal friction leads to a highly publicized leak of internal documents detailing the operational procedures of the anti-graft body, creating a short-term crisis of trust within the Party structure.
Watch for: A major international investigative journalism outlet publishes a detailed exposé citing internal CCP sources regarding the anti-graft process. · The CCDI headquarters temporarily suspends routine public announcements for 48 hours.
Generated by gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-UD-Q4_K_XL.gguf
on 2026-08-24. Checked against later coverage after 2026-09-03.
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