China’s Communist Party plenum targets passive ‘nice’ guys in anti-corruption push

China’s ruling Communist Party has pledged to target "old nice persons," or lao hao ren, as part of an intensified anti-corruption drive. According to Reuters Business via SCMP, this term refers to unprincipled, conflict-averse officials who ignore misconduct to protect their social standing and careers. The resolution, adopted at the close of the 20th Central Committee’s fifth plenum, signals a crackdown on a culture of passive self-preservation ahead of next year's 21st national party congress.

The party intends to "sharpen the weapon" of criticism and self-criticism through periodic "democratic life meetings." As reported by Reuters Business via SCMP, this mechanism was revived by President Xi Jinping in 2013 to facilitate peer critiques, confessions, and mutual monitoring. The resolution calls on cadres to be courageous in correcting errors and to fight against undesirable phenomena, stating that the party opposes self-preservation through being lao hao ren.

Brief written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post, Reuters Business via SCMP, Daily Times — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.