The plot thickens
Xi Jinping flexes his muscles by taking down allies of a former security chief
“NO MATTER who it involves, we must investigate to the end. There must be no tolerance.” So Xi Jinping, China’s new leader, told anti-corruption officials in January. In the past few days his campaign against “tigers”, as he called crooked leaders, has snared executives in a state-owned oil firm and a minister who once worked with them. But Mr Xi apparently has his sights on an even bigger beast: a former chief of domestic security and one-time oilman, Zhou Yongkang (pictured above, centre). By aiming so high, Mr Xi is clearly looking to consolidate his power and impose unity at the highest levels of the Communist Party. Could he also be changing the party’s unwritten rules?
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “The plot thickens”
China September 7th 2013
From the September 7th 2013 edition
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