Sierens China: Beijing nets a tiger

When Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in late 2012, he pledged to clamp down on corruption. This weekend he demonstrated again that he is taking a tougher stance on graft than any of his predecessors, with the arrest of Zhou Yongkang, one of the most powerful men in China prior to 2012. Yongkang was a member of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee and head of the domestic security apparatus. Until he retired two years ago, Zhou was one of nine men who effectively ruled the country. Now 72, he stands accused of leaking party and state secrets, as well as corruption, abuse of power, and sexual improprieties.

Zhou has been under investigation for months. But only now has it become obvious that Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign will spare no one - not even members of the Politburo. It has been over thirty years since such a senior cadre has faced formal corruption charges. The last comparable case was that of the Gang of Four, led by Mao Zedong's wife Jiang Qing. In 1981, the four deposed leaders stood trial and were convicted of anti-party activities during the Cultural Revolution.

Since Xi assumed office, an unprecedented number of officials have been removed from their posts and replaced with others of his own choosing. Many cadre privileges have been revoked and a number of officials have been dismissed from the provincial party organization's top ranks. When Zhou Yongkang‘s protege and Politburo member Bo Xilai was arrested in September 2013 and sentenced to life imprisonment, any lingering doubts about Xi Jinping's resolve were banished once and for all.

Flies and tigers

But there is growing speculation that Xi's campaign is above all a way of taking out his opponents and critics within the Communist Party. Xi has said himself that his anti-graft campaign is designed to ensnare the "flies," or lowly people, as much as it is to tackle the "tigers," or top officials. Yongkang is the biggest "tiger" to have been caught so far. No one really believed that Xi actually meant what he said, but Yongkang is now no longer even a member of the party. The fact that he has been barred by the Politburo and ostracized by many of his allies within the party is some measure of just how nervous the party cadre have become.

Is Xi genuinely keen to stamp out corruption? Or is it just an excuse for a political purge? This is the question that many are asking, albeit behind closed doors. The campaign has one major drawback: a lack of transparency. No one can tell if all Xi wants is to weed out corrupt comrades, regardless of whether they are his friends or foes. He has yet to target any high-ranking official known to be in his camp. Although at this point, everyone will be keen to position themselves as his friend - as the Communist Party leaders of five provinces did just after the announcement of Zhou's arrest, expressing their full support. They might well fear that otherwise, suspicion could fall on them.

The specter of the death penalty

In the 1990s, Yongkang was the minister responsible for the oil industry as well as head of the state-run Petrochina. Later, as governor of Sichuan Province, he employed a whole empire of trusted people who got rich under his rule. Yongkang's family members were not the only ones arrested for bribery. Numerous provincial bosses, ministers, and oil and gas sector company directors were also hit hard. But not as hard as it may hit Yongkang.

There is a lot of interest in the verdict. Those convicted of high treason are supposed to get the death penalty. But whatever the outcome, the public will remain in the dark. The treason charge means the public is completely excluded from the trial. In the meantime two former presidents, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, have spoken out against Xi Jinping's rigorous actions and demanded more respect for the traditions of the party. Perhaps they're feeling a little uneasy. Because one thing's for sure: Xi Jinping's campaign is nowhere near its end - and it's not sparing anyone.

DW columnist Frank Sieren has lived in Beijing for 20 years.