China to Tighten Oversight of Officials’ Wealth and Their Relatives’ Business Dealings

Beijing plans stricter checks on the property and spending of senior officials. Relatives’ business activities will also face closer scrutiny, a new party directive shows.

Beijing Moves to Boost Checks on Officials’ Property

China will step up inspections into the assets and spending of senior officials. The country will also tighten oversight of business activities run by their relatives. This comes from a new decision issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The Chinese government’s website published the decision on Sunday. It outlines steps for promoting comprehensive and strict governance within the party. The document was approved earlier during a Central Committee plenum.

What the Decision Actually Says

The text calls for sharper financial scrutiny of party cadres. It states:

”(It is necessary – Ed.) to improve the system for the declaration of personal information by senior officials, and to conduct audits in cases where a family’s assets or expenditures clearly exceed its regular income.”

The document also flags a specific concern. It calls for stronger “systematic control over the business activities of spouses, children and children’s spouses of leading cadres.”

Xi Jinping Has Called Corruption a “Tiger”

In January 2026, President Xi Jinping addressed the issue directly. He said China’s corruption situation remains complicated and tense. He described rooting out the causes of corruption as a difficult, multi-layered task.

Xi compared corruption to a “tiger blocking the path of the party and the country’s development.” He urged officials to firmly stamp out bribery. He also called for denying corrupt officials any safe haven within China.