Xi Jinping’s secretive graft purges spawn underground market for leaks

An illicit market is flourishing in China, offering purported secrets about which officials are under scrutiny in President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Authorities are actively combating these operations, which are spreading across the country's tightly controlled internet, according to a report by Banyuetan magazine, published by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Users in these underground networks are often charged small fees for access, with more exclusive chat rooms promising better tips fetching up to 399 yuan (S$76). The clues shared are frequently cryptic, such as posting a cadre's resume without explanation or disguising an official's name with homophones. Operators constantly shuffle members into new rooms to evade monitoring, and some accounts fabricate allegations to drive traffic.

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Every mid- and high-level official in China now must assume they bear some risk of being closely examined by anti-corruption authorities.

However, some information appears to originate from within the government, suggesting disloyalty among officials. Police in Guizhou province have shut down several such sites. This trading of information underscores the pervasive sense of anxiety among Chinese officials as Xi's purges penetrate deeper into the system. Three of the 24 Politburo members have been ousted, and a significant military purge has thinned leadership ranks.

"Every mid- and high-level official in China now must assume they bear some risk of being closely examined by anti-corruption authorities," said Victor Shih, an expert on Chinese elite politics at the University of California, San Diego. "It’s natural they would pay to obtain information about some of these potential investigations." The demand for such information intensifies as the Communist Party approaches its leadership congress next autumn, where Xi is expected to secure a fourth term, leading to a major personnel reshuffle.

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It’s natural they would pay to obtain information about some of these potential investigations.