An unclassified report offers American citizens a transparent view of key fault lines within China’s ruling party.

By Sam Cooper | The Bureau

Summary

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released a report revealing endemic corruption within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including at the highest levels of power, even President Xi Jinping.

The report details how graft, bribery, and political favoritism are integral to CCP power structures, involving organized crime and factional struggles, despite Xi’s anti-corruption campaign.

The U.S. aims to expose these vulnerabilities in a bid to undermine Beijing’s influence-building across the Western Hemisphere and the South Pacific through corruption and money laundering.

Citing examples of high-profile corruption cases, the ODNI report notes that Xi’s family retains significant financial interests, despite his public image of austerity. It also highlights corruption within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which Xi is trying to address to ensure loyalty and readiness, particularly in the context of potential conflict over Taiwan.

The ODNI’s comprehensive assessment highlights that corruption is not just an occasional issue but a systemic challenge to China’s governance, driven by centralized CCP power, a Party-centric legal framework, and a lack of transparency. Research indicates that corruption has been a persistent problem in China since its founding, worsened by rapid economic growth in the 1980s and 1990s, and has become so widespread since 2000 that it threatens the very legitimacy of the regime.

Read the report in full at the publisher’s website here.