China’s disciplinary enforcers add ‘bad’ books, sex, drugs to serious offences

Revised CCDI regulation threatens expulsion for party members who read sensitive works in private, solicit prostitution or use narcotics

There are also tough new integrity rules that some observers said will be ‘almost impossible’ to follow

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China’s powerful disciplinary watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has tightened its punishments for violating “political disciplines”. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 6:00pm, 28 Dec 2023

The Chinese Communist Party has widened its scope of violations and punishments, less than two weeks before the disciplinary commission holds its third plenary session, from January 8-10.

The new regulation from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) makes clear that party members face expulsion if they are found to be reading unflattering histories of the party in private.

Sensitive materials include works that speak ill of the party’s policies, defame and slander party and national leaders, or distort the history of the party, the People’s Republic of China, and the People’s Liberation Army.

The revision – approved by the Politburo two weeks ago and released on Wednesday by state news agency Xinhua – tightens punishment for violating the party’s “political discipline”.

Previously, the regulation said only that the buying and disseminating of sensitive works would be punished. Now, party members face serious warning, disciplinary probation or even expulsion if they are found to have read proscribed materials.

The powerful party watchdog has listed the reading of books deemed politically unflattering as a political offence in many of its recent investigations, including those into Zhu Congjiu, once deputy governor Zhejiang, and Liu Liange, the former president of the Bank of China.

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