China widens anti-corruption net to catch ‘quasi-naked officials’

Beijing has quietly tightened restrictions on officials with family members overseas in the past year as part of a sweeping anti-corruption drive, according to sources.

Three people familiar with the situation said inspections had been carried out since early last year within government bodies and state-owned enterprises to scrutinise the overseas connections of top officials and executives.

In the past, such inspections have sought to identify “naked officials” – those whose spouses and children live overseas. The group has long been a target of Beijing’s anti-corruption watchdog.

The latest inspections have broadened to include another category known as “quasi-naked officials”, according to a Communist Party insider who spoke under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

“Quasi-naked officials are those whose children are living abroad, but their spouses are still in China. They are now placed under heightened monitoring and have to report relevant information in a timely manner,” he said.

A Beijing-based source said the Central Organisation Department, the party’s top personnel organ, carried out a nationwide survey in the first half of last year to dig into officials’ overseas ties.

South China Morning Post