中華人民共和國的官員腐敗問題，在1978年改革開放後，異常嚴重並日益惡化，1989年民主運動即突出了腐敗的問題，但在鎮壓之後，政治改革議題遭到擱置，經濟成長成為黨國統治正當性的重要基礎，腐敗問題於是隨著經濟發展而更變本加厲。胡錦濤代表第十七屆中國共產黨中央委員會交付給習近平的重大政治任務，就是解決腐敗問題。惟習近平儘管重用王歧山，強化黨的中央紀律檢查委員會的打貪力度，卻遲遲不願建立獨立於政黨之外的廉政監察或司法部門，選擇性執法的說法不斷，也就使其打貪行動被蒙上政治鬥爭的陰影。

The problem of official corruption in the People's Republic of China, after the reform and opening up in 1978, was extremely serious and worsening. In 1989, the democratic movement highlighted the problem of corruption. But after the crackdown, the issue of political reform was shelved and the economic growth became the party state's legitimacy foundation to rule. Since then, the corruption has become a growing problem with the fast economic growth. Hu Jintao, on behalf of the Seventeenth Central Committee of the Chinese Party of Communist, handed over one of the major political tasks to Xi Jinping to solve the problem of corruption. Xi Jinping entrusted Wang Qishan and enforced the power of the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to fight corruption, but he still rejects to establish an independent incorrupt and judiciary institution outside the party. As more doubts on the selective law enforcement grows, more of the action of fighting corruption is over shadowed with political struggles.