Top Official in Southern China Under Corruption Probe as CCP Seizes Assets Amid Economic Downturn

‘The authorities are trying to recover as much illicit wealth as possible to ease China’s financial pressures,’ one China observer said.

A general view as delegates attend the closing session of China's rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's Congress, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2025. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

The top government official in southern China’s Guangxi region has been placed under investigation over alleged corruption charges.

China experts say the handling of the case signals a shift in Beijing’s so-called anti-corruption campaign—not just imposing punishments on targeted officials, but also seizing their families’ assets—due to increasing fiscal pressure stemming from economic decline.