Key facts
- Cai Fuchao, a retired top Chinese media regulator, is under investigation for suspected severe violations of discipline and laws.
- He previously oversaw publishing, TV, radio, film, and online content nationwide.
- Cai retired from all official positions in 2018.
- The investigation is part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.
- Former Politburo member Ma Xingrui was recently expelled from the Communist Party for corruption.
China's top anti-graft body announced on July 15 that it is investigating Cai Fuchao, a former journalist responsible for ensuring media content aligned with Communist Party doctrine. Cai, 75, is suspected of "suspected severe violations of discipline and laws." As the former chief of China's press and broadcaster administrator, he oversaw publishing, television, radio, film, and online content nationwide, enforcing censorship policies and guiding public opinion. He also previously led state TV and radio broadcasters and served as the deputy head of the ruling Communist Party's propaganda department. Cai retired from all official positions in 2018. He is the latest senior official implicated in an extensive anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping, which has led to investigations and purges within China's bureaucracy. This follows the expulsion of Ma Xingrui, a former Politburo member, from the Communist Party for corruption. Similar cases have occurred within China's propaganda system, with former deputy propaganda chief Zhang Jianchun and former deputy propaganda minister Lu Wei both receiving 14-year prison sentences for corruption.