Illustration: On March 12, 2023, CCP Politburo Standing Committee members Cai Qi and Li Xi attend a session of the National People’s Congress. (Noel Celis/AFP)
[Dajiyuan] Nepotism has long plagued the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) system, and recent anti-corruption campaigns often accuse certain state departments of “inbreeding.” However, amid the economic downturn, reports indicate that more children of high-ranking CCP officials are joining government departments. One such individual, reportedly the child of a current member of the Politburo Standing Committee, has taken a role as deputy director in charge of daily operations in an economic agency.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on May 6 that with the slowing economy and shrinking high-paying jobs in the private sector, an increasing number of “second-generation officials” are now entering government work—a contrast to earlier periods of rapid economic growth when this was less common.
Over the past two decades, children of top officials often made headlines as executives in lucrative domestic or international businesses. In recent years, the CCP has used anti-corruption campaigns to urge officials to manage their families’ conduct, but this trend appears to be reversing.
Citing multiple sources, the report states that government institutions are currently seeing more cooperation with colleagues from privileged backgrounds. Among them is the adult child of a current Politburo Standing Committee member, who recently joined an economic department as a deputy director responsible for daily affairs.
The current Politburo Standing Committee members are Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi. It is not yet clear whose child the report refers to. Among the seven, only Xi Jinping’s daughter, Xi Mingze, is publicly known by name; the identities and careers of the others' children remain undisclosed.
The report quotes a source in the foreign affairs system who noted that in recent years, more staff members from influential political families have joined the department. Another source mentioned a young colleague who joined the agency shortly after completing studies in the U.S., and is the son of a vice-ministerial-level official in Beijing.
The article suggests that one reason for this shift may be the CCP’s crackdown on overseas connections of top officials. So-called “naked officials,” whose families have moved abroad or transferred assets overseas, are viewed as politically sensitive.
Another reason is the shrinking number of high-paying jobs in the private sector amid economic distress. A prolonged property crisis, high youth unemployment, and worsening geopolitical tensions have further strained China’s economy.
Back in 2018, Business Journal’s Japanese edition reported that after then-U.S. President Donald Trump raised concerns over possible espionage by Chinese students, the CCP internally ordered officials to bring their children back to China.
With a sluggish economy and soaring unemployment, especially among the youth, “iron rice bowl” government jobs are in high demand. The number of civil service exam applicants continues to climb.
Chinese state media reports that more than 3.25 million people registered for the 2025 national civil service exam, an increase of 340,000 from the previous year. The final number is projected to exceed 3.3 million, nearly one-third of China’s university graduates. In March 2025, China’s largest annual civil service exam concluded with over 5.3 million people competing for just 166,000 positions.
However, insiders told Dajiyuan that even the civil service exam is tainted by nepotism, with well-qualified candidates being edged out by those with connections.
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi told Dajiyuan that the ongoing U.S.-China trade war may be pushing CCP elite families to rely even more on “iron rice bowl” positions. He noted that the privileged structure of the CCP ensures that all previous talk of cracking down on nepotism and “inbreeding” was empty rhetoric—just an excuse to eliminate political rivals.
Editor: Li Menghui
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