Xi Jinping’s purge continues with Chinese emergencies minister latest to be accused of corruption

China’s emergencies minister Wang Xiangxi is the latest to be investigated by president Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption watchdog, part of a growing purge of senior officials.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said on Saturday it has launched a probe into Wang’s conduct for “serious violations of discipline and law”, a euphemism used in China for suspected corruption, abuse of power, or related offences.

“Wang Xiangxi, party secretary and minister of Emergency Management, is suspected of serious violations of Party discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission,” the watchdog said.

Wang, 63, took charge in July 2022 following a stint as chairman of state-owned power generator National Energy Investment Corp.

The latest probe is part of a broader pattern of disciplinary action against senior officials in China, including top figures close to president Xi himself.

Last week, China’s defence ministry announced it was investigating the country’s top general Zhang Youxia, who is second in line only to Mr Xi himself in terms of the military’s leadership.

General Liu Zhenli, head of the People’s Liberation Army joint staff department, was also subject to investigation in the same probe.

Official Chinese sites do not publicly detail the specific charges against the officials.

But in a front page editorial last week, the PLA claimed the probe was a major achievement, adding that the two generals had "seriously undermined and violated" the Chairman Responsibility System, which vested Xi with "supreme military decision-making”.

Some experts have drawn a link between these latest purges and Beijing’s ambition to take control of Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Xi has threatened to “reunite” with the mainland by force, if necessary.

Analysts say the officials involved may have questioned or criticised Xi’s goal of being ready for a military invasion of Taiwan by 2027. And while their removal will have an impact on the functionality of the Chinese armed forces in the short term, they are likely to be replaced by officials loyal to Xi and willing to accept his vision for Taiwan.

A record 115 officials were placed under investigation in China last year, with more than 65 receiving discipline penalties as scrutiny expanded to former leaders of universities and state-owned enterprises.

Sun Yuning, a top official who was part of the customs department, was expelled from the Communist Party and sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery tied to his roles.

While the numbers reflect systematic anti-corruption activity across China’s bureaucracy, experts say it also puts even more power in Xi’s hands, making the already secretive structure of command within China’s military even more opaque.

The purges within the country’s top leadership have also raised questions among critics about internal cohesion within the Communist Party and the direction of the country’s future military leadership.