Why Are Chinese Officials Killing Themselves?

Following the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th Party Congress, held in late 2012, a disproportionate number of Chinese officials have “died of unnatural causes,” according to a recent notice by the Party’s Organization Department.

Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping (L), Premier Li Keqiang (R), and disciplinary agency boss Wang Qishan (C), in Beijing, on Sept. 30, 2014. Growing numbers of Chinese officials have perished of "unnatural causes," including suicide, since Xi Jinping took power in late 2012. Feng Li/Getty Images

Despite the wealth and power associated with life as a Chinese state bureaucrat, being an official for the communist regime is more hazardous than you might expect.

Following the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th Party Congress, held in late 2012, a disproportionate number of Chinese officials have “died of unnatural causes,” according to a recent notice by the Party’s Organization Department.

Similar statistics were circulated widely online in China in 2013, attributed to an alleged internal report from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Party’s anti-corruption agency.

In the process known as shuanggui, officials are often beaten and tortured to extract confessions.