Beijing's growing ideological crackdown nets more officials

More cadres punished for reading illegal publications that undermine party’s unity’

- Michelle Ng China Correspondent

BEIJING A growing number of Chinese officials have been punished for illicit reading as the Communist Party of China (CPC) tightens its grip on the personal lives of cadres, increasing its policing of ideological purity amid growing domestic challenges.

Reading or possessing "banned books" or illegal publications containing content that "undermined the party's solidarity and unity" are some of the accusations increasingly pinned on disgraced cadres by party anti-graft agencies.

Associate Professor Lai Hongyi from the University of Nottingham's School of Politics and International Relations said the tougher clampdown could be an attempt to sustain economic growth and ensure political stability.

"The nation is now facing mounting economic challenges, and the leadership is doing its best to minimise negative news and voices and promote the positive ones," said Prof Lai.

China's economy saw its slowest growth in more than a year at 4.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2024.

At least 15 party cadres have been accused of illicit reading or possessing forbidden materials so far in 2024, up from around eight in 2023.

The latest to be punished was Li Bin, a former vice-director of the People's Congress, or legislature, in Mudanjiang, in the north-eastern Heilongjiang in late September 2024.

All such accusations have resulted in the officials' expulsion from the CPC, which effectively ended their political careers.