The Communist Party’s new disciplinary chief at a major state-run shipping company has given an internal speech excoriating the corruption at the firm and in the Party generally, while boasting of his prowess in taking down powerful cadres.
Such speeches are usually considered highly secret—but this one, made by Xu Aisheng, the head of the Communist Party’s internal disciplinary group at the China Ocean Shipping Company, was leaked online.
The speech provides unprecedented insight into the anti-corruption campaign being waged by Party leader Xi Jinping and his lieutenants, who are trying to change the culture of lawlessness inside the Communist Party and its appendages. It also provides a vivid look at the personal jostling, and occasional flashes of braggadocio, involved in carrying out that campaign.
Summaries of the speech quickly spread on mainland Chinese websites, to the delight of Internet users, but were quickly purged. Though it was not possible to verify the authenticity of the document with the state shipping firm, the full version was archived on overseas Chinese sites and is widely considered genuine.
