Distrust of the West Rises in China
On 1 November, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) announced that it had removed nine vice chairpersons from its various subcommittees.[1] The CPPCC is the top advisory body to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its members make recommendations and provide advice to government entities. The CPPCC is made up of active and semi-retired CCP and government officials, senior military officers, prominent business leaders, members of academia, representatives of ethnic minorities and religious groups, and other leading figures in China.
Two of the removed vice chairpersons held government positions equivalent to cabinet ministers while the remaining served as vice-ministerial officials. The CPPCC did not give a reason for their removal, but a remarkable through-line of the ousted officials is that they all have immediate family members living overseas. Pamir assesses that the CPPCC action is part of China’s on-going campaign to get rid of officials who have immediate family living outside China. It appears that local Chinese governments have adopted similar measures, including the ouster of Liu Duo, a vice mayor of Shanghai who was removed in September 2025 because her children were living outside China.
Officials with few family ties in China–also known as “naked officials”–are seen by the CCP as vulnerable to corruption and espionage, as well as being prone to leave China if the opportunity arises. In 2014, the CCP Central Committee ordered that all officials in leadership positions in the government, military, state-owned enterprises (SOE), state financial institutions, and other security-sensitive organizations must report spouses or children who have migrated overseas.[2]
Since Xi Jinping became the top Chinese leader in 2013, the CCP has restricted promotions of “naked officials” to senior leadership positions.[3] There were even reports that thousands of such individuals were demoted.[4] Nonetheless, thousands of Chinese officials continue to have family members residing outside the country due to uneven enforcement. Over the years, hundreds of Chinese officials have fled the country to join their family members, mostly in the West. Many of these officials were found guilty of corruption while in office and others were presumed guilty, and the PRC sees Western countries as offering safe harbor to these alleged criminals.
The more recent campaign to remove officials with overseas family members signals Beijing’s increasing distrust of the West, particularly the United States. That distrust is manifested in the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS)’s frequent publication of confirmed spy cases and warnings of foreign espionage, and the MSS may scrutinize family relationships for evidence of such espionage.
As a precaution, some Chinese central government agencies, local governments, SOEs, and even some private companies have announced that they will no longer hire people returned from studying overseas. For example, on 9 September the Shanghai government joined its counterparts in Beijing, Guangdong, and Shandong in announcing that it would not hire Chinese citizens who had studied outside China.[5] Meanwhile, Chinese authorities are tightening their enforcement of the rule that individual foreigners must be registered with local police stations within 24 hours of their arrival in China. All hotels in China already automatically register overseas guests with the local police in compliance with the regulation.[6]
As a consequence of Beijing’s centrally directed “foreign phobia,” local Chinese officials are now less incentivized to develop personal relationships with representatives of foreign companies for fear of suffering the Party’s wrath. Similarly, local governments are less eager to offer policy preferences to Western companies because they do not want to be labeled “pro-West.”
China’s “campaign-style” political environment—meaning issues are taken up and well publicized and enforced for a period of time—is known to generate conflicting policies with uncertain durations. The CCP’s deep insecurity has also resulted in a record of oscillation between pro-foreign and anti-foreign stances. In this context, it is unclear how long this focus on foreign connections will last or whether it will intensify. However, Western companies, particularly American businesses, should be aware of this persistent risk factor and develop strategies to manage risk for their operations and employees.
[1] http://www.cppcc.gov.cn/zxww/2025/11/03/ARTI1762138785886411.shtml
[2] https://zzb.ytu.edu.cn/info/1038/1345.htm
[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-rules-promotion-officials-family-overseas-023136108.html
[4] https://archive.nytimes.com/sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/with-families-refusing-to-return-naked-officials-are-demoted/
[5] https://m.compassedu.hk/article/10401
[6] https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741547/c1013311/content.html
