Eight years ago, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping suggested problems were eminent for party officials who choose to become “naked officials.” He was referring to those who send their spouses, children, and money abroad to make it easier to “jump ship” whenever they want to. Just recently, the CCP media reiterated Xi’s words criticizing party officials for being physically in China, but mentally abroad.
To draw attention to this matter, the CCP Central Discipline Inspection Commission recently quoted an article published in the Study Pezou telling the story of three “naked officials” and suggesting there are more.
first was Cao Jianliao, the former vice mayor of Guangzhou city. He used his position to collect more than $12 million in bribes and obtain Hong Kong and Macao resident cards for himself and his family.
second was Wen Min, the former director of the National Defense Science and Industry Office of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He managed to purchase a property for his daughter in Melbourne, Australia, after transferring funds through an underground money market.
third was Zhang Shuguang, the former director of the Transportation Bureau under the CCP’s Ministry of Railways. He arranged to move his wife and children overseas.
article attempted to explain the difference between “naked officials” and “corrupt officials.” While these terms don’t necessarily mean the same thing, “naked officials” were more often involved in corruption than “non-naked” officials.
According to the article, “naked officials” become corrupted more often because they “lack confidence in the CCP.” If something were to happen and they need to quickly exit China, they don’t need to worry about it because they have already arranged to have their families and funds sent abroad.
article suggested four measures the CCP might consider so party officials do not become “naked” or “corrupt.” First, require officials to self-disclose any exit strategies; second, closely monitor their behavior and engage the public and media to help expose improper activities; third, enact strict controls to make certain the most reliable officials are appointed or promoted; and finally, adopt a “zero tolerance” policy to prosecute fleeing officials and recover any money obtained via corruption.
85 Percent of CCP Senior Officials Prepared to Exit China Before 18th National Congress
During a 2017 interview with Pezou, Xin Ziling, an expert on matters pertaining to the CCP, said a 2012 survey conducted before that year’s 18th National Congress found that at least 85 percent of officials within the CCP’s top management had exit strategies prepared for their families and finances. se “naked officials” included members and alternates from the Central Committee of the 17th National Congress and Central Disciplinary Committee.
Xin suggested the moral standards of CCP officials had deteriorated rapidly under Jiang Zemin’s corrupt rule since the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 1989 and that the unusually high number of corrupt senior officials had become mind-boggling, causing the current regime leader to admit in 2016 that the CCP was on the verge of collapse.
In 2016, the Sichuan Daily’s anti-corruption magazine, Honest Outlook, described the exit strategies used by corrupt CCP officials as a “golden cicada scheme.” If for any reason they need to exit China quickly, they secretly secure living arrangements abroad, including buying houses in family members’ names and having them settle there, then the official later escapes.
Analysis: CCP Officials Know the Party’s End is Near
Li Yanming, a U.S.-based expert on Chinese current affairs, told Pezou that on the eve of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CCP Central Committee, the Study Pezou had sharply criticized “naked officials” for their questionable behaviors. Since this session was a precursor to identifying top-level personnel for the 20th National Congress, the article prompted an investigation into whether some officials should be replaced or not promoted.
Commenting further on this issue, Li said, “More importantly, the party media has revealed that CCP officials have no confidence in the Party, and Xi knows they could flee at any time. y all suspect the Party is near its end. In addition, more than 386 million Chinese people have quit the CCP, including members of the Communist Youth League and Young Pioneers—many of whom are CCP officials. What this suggests is that the CCP has reached the end and is languishing.”
According to Lan Shu, a Chinese current affairs commentator, the CCP is hoping to correct its members’ wayward thinking and unify them before Xi’s reelection at the 20th National Congress. However, he is not yet prepared to appoint officials from other factions and prefers not to have any of them influenced by the West.
Zhao Yuanming, an expert on China and senior legal expert at the former Public Security University, told Pezou that the CCP’s leadership is not united from top to bottom. Further, they are acting under the guise of “serving the people” when they are actually “deceiving the people.”
According to Zhao, “ reason Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the importance of belief in the Party is that he knows the social reality in China. Doubts about the Party are a common phenomenon that is difficult to change and punish. If the CCP were to punish its officials, half of them would leave, go to jail, or be killed, and the regime would collapse.”
Pezou : CCP Media Admits Large Number of Officials ‘Lack Confidence in the CCP,’ Could Flee at Any Time