【英语生活】中纪委巡视组进驻上海开展工作 Xi’s corrupt ‘tiger’ hunt widens as Beijing turns sights on Shanghai

The most extensive anti-corruption campaign in modern Chinese history is about to be unleashed on Shanghai, the country’s commercial capital and the stronghold of former president Jiang Zemin.

Until now, China’s most populous city has been left largely unscathed by a campaign that has been the centrepiece policy of President Xi Jinping’s 20-month-old administration and placed hundreds of thousands of officials under investigation.

However, a large taskforce from the Communist party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the body investigating allegations of crimes or wrongdoing committed by party members, has arrived in Shanghai and will remain there until the end of September.

The news comes a day after the party formally launched a corruption investigation into Zhou Yongkang, former head of the secret police and the most senior figure to be accused of corruption in the history of the People’s Republic of China.

Many political analysts be-lieve the investigation into Mr Zhou, who has been in detention since the end of last year, will be the high water mark of Mr Xi’s anti-corruption drive. They argue that targeting more senior retired officials would destabilise the authoritarian state.

However, by turning the anti-corruption campaign on Shanghai, Mr Xi is threatening the legacy of Mr Jiang, 87, who has retained enormous influence in the party since he retired from the presidency in 2003.

Of the seven members of the Politburo’s Standing Committee, the body that in effect rules China, four or five are considered close to Mr Jiang. Before he was made president in 1989, Mr Jiang was Communist party boss of Shanghai and his still-powerful faction is known as the “Shanghai Gang”.

Political insiders say Mr Xi is incensed by Mr Jiang’s pervasive lingering influence in the party and the military.

Anti-corruption investigations have already targeted several people with close ties to the former president, including Xu Caihou, a former Military Commission vice-chairman.

The most recent example is Wang Zongnan, an acolyte of Mr Jiang and former chairman of Bright Food Co, which owns Weetabix breakfast cereal in the UK. A corruption probe was opened on Monday into him.

Additional reporting by Lucy Hornby

中国近几十年打击面最广的反腐运动即将在上海展开。上海是中国的商业之都，也是中国前国家主席江泽民的大本营。

直至目前为止，上海这座中国人口最多的城市基本上没有受到反腐运动的影响。反腐运动是中国国家主席习近平上任20个月以来的核心政策，已导致数十万名官员受到调查。

然而，中共中央纪律检查委员会的一个阵容强大的巡视组已进驻上海，并将在那里工作至9月底。中纪委是调查中共党员涉嫌犯罪或不当行为的机构。

在曝出上述消息的前一天，中共正式对周永康展开腐败调查。周永康曾担任中央政法委书记，他是中华人民共和国历史上受到腐败指控的最高官阶的人物。

许多政治分析人士相信，对周永康的调查将是习近平反腐运动的最高峰。他们辩称，将目标对准更高级别的退休官员将破坏威权政府的稳定。周永康自去年年底以来被拘留。

然而，通过将反腐运动转向上海，习近平正在威胁江泽民的残余影响力。现年87岁的江泽民在2003年从国家主席职位退休后，依然在党内保持巨大的影响力。

在中共中央政治局的7名常委中，有4位或5位常委被认为与江泽民关系密切。江泽民在1989年担任中国国家主席之前是上海市委书记，他创建的影响力仍然巨大的派系被称为“上海帮”。

政治内部人士表示，习近平被江泽民在党内和军内无处不在的残余影响力所激怒。

反腐调查已经将目标对准多名与江泽民关系密切的官员，包括中央军委前副主席徐才厚。

最近的例子是王宗南。王宗南是江泽民的亲信，曾担任光明食品集团(Bright Food)的董事长，后者拥有英国早餐谷物品牌维他麦(Weetabix)。王宗南在本周一受到反腐调查。

韩碧如(Lucy Hornby)补充报道

译者/何黎