The Communist Party of China Central Committee is currently holding a plenary session. Over the course of 4 days, nearly 400 party members will discuss topics relating to the improvement of disciplinary measures and addressing the ongoing anti-corruption campaign.
In the past, if you were an ordinary citizen, the only channel you had to report corruption to was the local court. The other option was to deliver a petition to a higher level of government department. But because local courts are prone to being influenced by local governments, corrupt officials might be able to find ways to cover up their violations, and they can also try to block you from petitioning.
But since Xi Jinping took office in 2013, at least two new channels have opened. The first is by reporting directly to the Communist Party's Disciplinary Commission on their website. The website was launched in 2013, and now, it has over 3 million visitors EVERY DAY. Once you file your report, the Commission is obliged to respond within a few days, and will protect the whistleblower's identity. So it can be said that with just a computer or a mobile phone, anyone is able to report anything on any official, as long as there is convincing evidence.
The second new option is social media -- by uploading evidence of corruption for the public to see. In one of the most high-profile cases, the party chief of Chongqing's Beipei District, Lei Zhengfu, was removed from his position just 60 hours after his sex tape got circulated on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. In the past, such information might be censored, but now, the authorities use such information as clues to spot corruption, and launch investigations accordingly. Lei was sentenced to 13 years the following year for taking bribes. Many say these two channels are mobilizing the entire public to take part in the fight against corruption.
