First he swept up corrupt officials. Now Xi is tightening party control

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Communist Party officials to carry out the top echelon’s directives to the letter, while also remaining pragmatic.

Speaking at a full meeting of the party’s top graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), on Thursday, Xi reminded cadres to resolutely safeguard the authority and the leadership of the party’s Central Committee.

Noting the party was challenged by “complex” domestic and international factors, Xi said officials should be aware of links between triads and officials, especially the protectors of mafia-style organisations.

“The decisions and plans laid out by the party’s central leadership should be implemented to the letter by all party organisations,” Xi said in a speech live-streamed to officials across the country.

He urged cadres to be “always politically reliable, loyal to the party, be of one mind and one heart with the central leadership, listen to the party’s instructions and fulfil their responsibilities at all times and under all circumstances”.

The anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi since coming to power five years ago is the most sweeping and ferocious in communist China’s history. More than 1.5 million cadres, including some from the highest ranks of the party and military, have been disciplined or prosecuted for graft or disloyalty.