בכיר סיני לשעבר חושף את המתרחש כיום במשטר הקומוניסטי הסיני

How do Chinese officials survive inside a totalitarian regime? A former high-ranking Chinese official tells us his story and stories from his former colleagues. Zhou Guoguan used to serve as a top province-level leader in China, a branch of the state under the Chinese communist regime's rule. He spoke to NTD about the chaotic politics in China. He said that under communist rule, officials are often forced to operate in risky positions and don't have a good exit route should they want to leave. In China's current political climate, the system is such that if authorities decide they want to target an official, there are 100 excuses available. Worried about the communist political situation, Zhou decided to leave China in 2019. According to Zhou, out of the officials he was friends with, only three of four out of around 20 are free. The rest are either detained or jailed. Some of them reportedly suffered mental breakdowns after just two or three months in detention. He added that more officials are also committing suicide daily, though the cases don't get reported. Zhou said there's a sense of insecurity among Chinese officials. In China's political climate, you can't criticize, you have to adapt. He said that the communist system grinds down people's morale and desire to serve others, and that the only way to get promoted is through bribery. In May, China investigated more than 17,000 corruption cases. But Zhou said the communist regime's anti-corruption efforts aren't effective. This Chinese approach to crack down on corruption isn't truly about stopping corruption. It's just a tactic to force officials to obey through fear. The system won't change. These problems won't be solved. Zhou said China's struggling economy has pushed Beijing to double down on its anti-corruption efforts. That's because the regime will seize the money and assets of any officials deemed corrupt, making the tactic a source of income for the Chinese state.