A Tightening Grip

While Beijing touts its anti-corruption campaign as essential to safeguarding Party rule and fostering financial stability, the growing roster of disciplined officials signals a more expansive net than ever before. The broad sweep of probes—now reaching multiple sectors and strata of government—has fueled anxieties among local authorities who must implement delicate policies at a time when the country faces mounting economic pressures. The central challenge: how to root out malfeasance without paralyzing the very officials expected to deliver on ambitious industrial, housing, and stimulus initiatives.