Making sense of a purge of China’s security services

PURGES HAVE grown more common since Xi Jinping took over as China’s leader in 2012. To curb graft and snuff out any opposition to his rule, Mr Xi has been hunting in every corner of the country’s vast bureaucracy. Hundreds of thousands of officials have been punished. Thousands, many of them high-ranking, have been sent to prison. Remarkably, however, some people do not appear to have got the message. A new campaign has just been launched within the domestic security services (see article). Weeding out the disloyal is its primary goal.

Can there still be serious opposition to Mr Xi? There is certainly little sign of it on the streets. Many ordinary citizens express content with his rule. Under him, China has become far more influential globally. The economy has kept on growing at a healthy rate (and surprisingly well despite the pandemic). His anti-corruption efforts are popular. Neither is there any obvious sign of discontent within the Communist Party elite. It seems likely that many bitterly resent the anti-graft inspectors, and that some senior officials even gnash their teeth. But those with misgivings about Mr Xi know they must keep their mouths shut and their heads down.

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