Over 20 years before Xi Jinping took the helm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, fighting corruption held an important place in his heart. In 1988, shortly after he took office as secretary of the CPC Ningde Prefectural Committee, in Fujian Province, southeast China, Xi took action to “offend” local officials who built houses illegally on public land.
In an interview with state broadcaster China Central Television in 2003, Xi recalled the experience. He asked a discipline inspection official, “Do you think ordinary people are happy with the situation?”
“Of course not,” the official replied.
“Should we upset 3 million people (the population of Ningde at the time) or a few thousand officials who violated the Party’s discipline?”
The answer is obvious.
At the First Plenary Session of the 18th
