China's anti-corruption purge reaches top officials ahead of key party meeting

Beijing's deputy mayor met Walmart CEO John Furner last week and encouraged American companies to invest in the Chinese capital before disappearing from public life. He is the latest official caught in a wide-ranging anti-corruption campaign that has already ensnared a former top judge, a spy chief, dozens of military generals, and even officials responsible for rooting out graft.

Party officials across China are privately wondering who will be next as the purge reaches the highest levels of the Communist Party. The campaign has removed figures seen as close to leader Xi Jinping, leaving few factions or individuals who could stand against him.

“The war against graft would be a never-ending struggle.”

Xi, 73, has held power for more than 14 years and faces no serious challenge to his authority. Unlike US President Donald Trump, who is constitutionally limited to two terms and is currently fighting to protect his party's fortunes in the midterm elections, Xi's position over the world's second-biggest economy appears more secure than ever.

This week Xi will attend a closed-door meeting of more than 200 party elites in Beijing, expected to further strengthen his authority and his signature anti-corruption drive. Attendance at the meeting will be at a historic low because of the anti-corruption measures.

The gathering is being closely watched because it takes place just one year before a more important Communist Party leadership meeting next autumn. At that gathering, Xi is expected to arrange an unprecedented fourth term for himself.

Earlier this year Xi told party cadres that corruption remains grave and warned that many two-faced people still exist in the party. He promised the war against graft would be a never-ending struggle. In 2022 he called to turn the blade inward to investigate those tasked with enforcing discipline themselves.