China anti-corruption drive 2025 ensnares record 65 'tigers'
China's anti-corruption drive reached a new peak in 2025, with a record 65 high-ranking 'tigers' detained. PRISM analyzes the latest figures from the CCDI and the impact on China's political landscape.
65 high-ranking 'tigers' fell in a single year. President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption machinery just broke its own record, signaling no let-up in the decade-long crackdown on official misconduct.
The scale of the China anti-corruption drive 2025
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), China's top anti-corruption agency detained a total of 65 senior officials in 2025. This figure marks a 12% increase from the 58 officials caught in 2024, surpassing the peak set just a year earlier. The list of detainees spans provincial leaders, ministry administrators, financial regulators, and top university presidents.
The latest high-profile detention involves Zhang Shiping, the former vice-chairwoman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. At 71 years old and seven years into her retirement, her downfall underscores the agency's "no-escape" policy for those suspected of corruption, regardless of their current status.
A wider net across key sectors
These "tigers" typically hold ranks at the deputy ministerial level or above. They're directly managed by the Communist Party's Central Organisation Department and face top-level investigations by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The 2025 sweep has been particularly aggressive in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the financial sector, where regulators and bankers have come under intense scrutiny.
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