The state broadcaster CCTV released a documentary urging officials to prevent minor misconduct from turning into systemic corruption, using the conviction of former Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian as a central example. Tang received a suspended death sentence after admitting to taking more than 268 million yuan in bribes. The episode, aired ahead of the CCDI's annual meeting, also highlighted a banquet-related death and pension-fund embezzlement, and reiterated new austerity rules aimed at cutting the chain from petty rule-breaking to large-scale graft.
China Urges Crackdown On Misconduct To Prevent Corruption — CCTV Spotlights Sentenced Ex‑Minister Tang Renjian
The headquarters of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China is pictured in Beijing, China February 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
China is sharpening its anti-corruption campaign to stop minor misconduct from morphing into large-scale graft, a state-run CCTV documentary said on Sunday. The first episode of the series, "Unwavering in Our Resolve, Unyielding in Our Step," aired a day before the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) opened its three-day annual meeting.
The episode focused on former Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian, who was convicted last September and given a suspended death sentence after admitting to taking bribes totaling more than 268 million yuan (about $38 million). The program portrayed Tang attending lavish banquets, arranging entertainment and securing benefits for family members while some rural projects under his oversight were left incomplete. In footage shown by CCTV, Tang—wearing a plain black T‑shirt—speaks remorsefully about his actions:
"Whether it was eating and drinking in violation of regulations or having fun, I was constantly thinking about such things at that time. In fact, in the end, it wears down your will."
Beyond Tang's case, the documentary presented other cautionary examples: an official in central Henan province who died after excessive drinking at a banquet that violated Party rules, and two grassroots officials who exploited weaknesses in local pension funds to embezzle money.
Beijing tightened austerity regulations last year for Communist Party members and public-sector employees, banning extravagant banquets, so-called "white elephant" infrastructure projects, ostentatious car fittings and decorative plants at official meetings. The CCDI official featured in the film, Wang Xinqi, said the goal is to "cut off the chain of interests that spreads from misconduct to corruption and build a work chain to rectify corruption."
President Xi Jinping has repeatedly described corruption as the Party's "biggest threat," signaling the leadership's intent to maintain pressure on wrongdoing across government and military ranks. The documentary cited a sustained "high-pressure campaign" that prompted probes last year into several high-profile figures, including former securities regulator chief Yi Huiman, ex-China Eastern Airlines chairman Liu Shaoyong, and nine senior military officers, among them Vice Chairman-level General He Weidong.
What This Means: The CCTV series frames corruption prevention as a matter of cutting off everyday misconduct—banquets, perks, informal favors—before those behaviors create entrenched graft networks. By combining personal confessions, stark examples and policy reminders, the program aims to tighten compliance among officials at all levels.
Reporting by Shi Bu and Liz Lee; editing by Lincoln Feast.
($1 = 6.9749 Chinese yuan renminbi)
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