Top News丨Anti-corruption efforts focus more on work conduct issues

The trajectory of corruption often begins not with a grand heist, but with a simple dinner, according to the details of a case released on Sunday involving a former high-ranking official.

根据周日公布的一起涉及前高官的案件细节显示，腐败的轨迹往往并非始于惊天大劫案，而是一顿简单的晚餐。

Tang Ren jian, former minister of agriculture and rural affairs, admitted his corruption stemmed from ignoring the Communist Party of China Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, according to a freshly aired anti-corruption documentary.

据最新播出的反腐纪录片披露，原农业农村部部长唐仁健承认，其腐败行为源于忽视中共中央关于改进党政作风的八项规定。

"My illegal acts began with dining violations," Tang said before the camera, stressing the need to "stay prudent from the start".

唐仁健在镜头前坦言：“我的违法行为始于餐饮违规，”并强调“从一开始就要保持谨慎”。

Coproduced by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the National Supervisory Commission and China Media Group, the four-episode series began airing on Sunday, one day before the opening of the fifth plenary session of the 20th CCDI in Beijing.

由中共中央纪律检查委员会、国家监察委员会和中国媒体集团联合制作的四集系列片于周日开播，恰逢二十届中纪委五中全会在北京召开前一天。

Previously vice-chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous regional government and governor of Gansu province, Tang was probed in May 2024. The investigation revealed that his social circle, largely built around dining, tea and mahjong, later became thebribery channel, and what started as casual gatherings turned into "interest transfer" hubs.

曾任广西壮族自治区政府副主席、甘肃省省长的唐仁健于2024年5月被立案调查。调查发现，他以餐饮、品茶、打麻将为纽带建立的社交圈逐渐演变为行贿渠道，原本随意的聚会最终沦为“利益输送”的枢纽。

Tang described a psychological shift where he grew accustomed to these luxuries, eventually viewing them as "natural and deserved". As his vigilance dropped, business owners exploited the situation to seek favors.

唐仁健描述了一种心理转变：他逐渐习惯了这些奢侈待遇，最终视其为“理所当然且应得的”。随着他的警惕性降低，商人们便趁机钻空子谋取私利。

To avoid detection, he first wore masks and hats to hotel dinners, and then moved gatherings to private villas and apartments arranged by entrepreneurs.

为躲避追查，唐仁健起初戴着面具和帽子参加酒店晚宴，后来又将聚会转移到企业家安排的私人别墅和公寓里。

He also colluded with Li Yong, a Beijing antique dealer, using his shops for "power-for-money" deals. Business owners seeking Tang's influence were instructed to purchase overpriced antiques consigned by Tang through Li, disguising bribes as legitimate transactions.

唐仁健还与北京古董商李勇勾结，利用其店铺进行“权钱交易”。寻求唐仁健影响力的商人被要求通过李勇购买唐某委托的高价古董，将贿赂伪装成合法交易。

After becoming minister of agriculture and rural affairs, Tang created a WeChat group called "Happy Weekends" comprising his family members and business owners. He also had his son open an upscale restaurant near the ministry. The entrepreneurs funded group events by purchasing membership cards at the restaurant, with Tang organizing the events and the entrepreneurs covering the costs.

唐仁健就任农业农村部长后，创建了一个名为“快乐周末”的微信群组，成员包括其亲属及商界人士。他还安排儿子在部委附近开办高档餐厅。商人们通过购买该餐厅会员卡为群组活动提供资金，由唐仁健组织活动，商人们承担费用。

Starting in 2011, business owners took turns holding lavish birthday parties for him at luxury resorts across the country.

自2011年起，企业主们轮流在全国豪华度假村为唐仁健举办奢华的生日派对。

The documentary highlights how Tang's poor work conduct directly led to a distorted view of performance. Obsessed with "image projects" to improve his standing, he disregarded local realities in Gansu and insisted on launching chicken farming projects simultaneously in eight counties. Consequently, seven of the projects were suspended, leaving many completed facilities idle or underutilized.

该纪录片揭示了唐仁健工作作风不端如何直接导致绩效评估失真。他痴迷于通过“形象工程”提升个人声望，无视甘肃省的实际情况，执意在八个县同时启动养鸡项目。结果七个项目被迫叫停，导致大量建成设施闲置或利用率低下。

Tang, a long-serving official in the agricultural sector, meddled in 37 projects, 27 of which were agricultural. His influence-peddling and frequent dining with subordinates fostered an unhealthy political ecosystem. Even on the eve of being placed under residential surveillance, Tang reportedly attended a late-night drinking session.

唐仁健作为农业部门资深官员，曾插手37个项目，其中27个涉及农业领域。其利用职权谋私利的行为及频繁与下属宴饮的作风，滋生了病态的政治生态。据报道，即便在被实施居住监视的前夜，唐仁健仍出席了一场深夜酒局。

Expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office in November 2024, Tang was sentenced in September 2025 to death with a two-year reprieve, lifelong deprivation of political rights and confiscation of all property for accepting more than 268 million yuan ($38.4 million) in bribes.

唐仁健于2024年11月被开除党籍并撤销公职，2025年9月因受贿2.68亿余元（合3840万美元）被判处死刑缓期两年执行，剥夺政治权利终身，并没收全部财产。

The central discipline inspection and national supervision authorities noted that the interweaving of poor work conduct and corruption is a key issue in current efforts to improve Party conduct and combat corruption, urging the simultaneous investigation and rectification of both.

中央纪委国家监委指出，工作作风问题与腐败问题相互交织，是当前推进党风建设、反腐败斗争中的关键问题，要求对两类问题同时查办、同步整改。

Governing efficiency hurt

治理效率受损

Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of Peking University's Research Center of Public Policy, said that efforts to improve conduct and fight corruption were once fragmented. Conduct issues were considered "minor corruption", while anti-corruption efforts targeted "major corruption". The lack of synergy hurt governance efficiency.

北京大学公共政策研究中心副主任庄德水指出，过去在改进作风和反腐方面存在割裂现象。作风问题被视为“小腐败”，而反腐工作则针对“大腐败”。这种缺乏协同性的做法损害了治理效能。

"Many major corruption cases originate from minor misconduct, and rooting out major corruption requires addressing trivial issues first," he said.

庄德水表示：“许多重大腐败案件都源于细微的违规行为，要根除重大腐败，必须先解决这些琐碎问题。”

Over the past year, authorities have piloted initiatives using big data to link work conduct and anti-corruption information channels, enabling cross-verification to cut the source link between unhealthy tendencies and corruption.

过去一年间，相关部门试点运用大数据技术，将工作行为与反腐信息渠道相衔接，通过交叉核查切断不良倾向与腐败行为的源头关联。

However, institutional development remains insufficient. Zhuang said strengthening the top-level design of the supervision system and integrating disciplinary, supervisory, inspection, financial and audit oversight to build a unified framework is imperative.

然而，制度建设仍显不足。庄表示，必须加强监管体系的顶层设计，整合纪律检查、监管、监察、财政和审计等监督职能，构建统一的监管框架。

Ji Yaping, dean of the School of Administrative Law at Northwest University of Political Science and Law, noted that the core goal of simultaneous investigation and rectification is to eliminate the breeding ground for corruption at its source.

西北政法大学行政法学院院长姬亚平指出，查办与整改并举的核心目标，在于从源头上消除腐败滋生的土壤。

He said that unhealthy conduct induces corruption, and correcting such conduct is key to resolving corruption problems. Severe misconduct in cadre selection, for example, can breed cliques, sycophancy and even political fraudsters.

姬亚平表示，不良行为会滋生腐败，纠正此类行为是解决腐败问题的关键。例如，干部选拔中的严重失职会导致派系形成、阿谀奉承，甚至催生政治骗子。

Only strict, transparent standards can eradicate this problem, he added.

姬亚平补充道，唯有严格透明的标准才能根除这一问题。

trajectory

/trəˈdʒek.tɚ.i/

n.（射体在空中的）轨道，轨迹

bribery

/ˈbraɪ.bɚ.i/

n.贿赂；收买

entrepreneur

/ˌɑːn.trə.prəˈnɝː/

n.（尤指涉及风险的）企业家，创业者

idle

/ˈaɪ.dəl/

adj.闲置的