China targets organized crime

China has launched a yearlong nationwide campaign targeting organized crime conducted through online platforms and "soft violence", while maintaining pressure on traditional gangs, groups exploiting minors and criminal organizations involved in drugs, gambling and prostitution.

Starting in July, the campaign focuses on illegal online lending and debt collection, extortion through the manipulation of online public opinion, malicious compensation claims, forced consumption, fraudulent labor claims and sexual blackmail, according to the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The campaign follows a decision by the CPC Central Committee to address crimes that have caused strong public concern, rectify disorder in industries vulnerable to gang infiltration and better protect people's lawful rights and interests.

China conducted a three-year nationwide campaign against organized crime from 2018 to 2020 before making the crackdown a regular practice in 2021.

Authorities said organized crime remains persistent, recurrent and complex. Some criminal groups have become more covert, shifting from offline to online operations, from overt violence to concealed coercion and from traditional sectors to emerging industries.

Groups that manipulate or coerce minors into committing crimes, or otherwise infringe on their rights, will face particular scrutiny. Authorities will also crack down on gangs that use stalking, harassment, threats, intimidation and extortion to coerce victims without necessarily resorting to physical violence.

Criminal organizations seeking to dominate villages and townships or control mines, sand-mining sites, streets and markets will remain key targets.

The campaign will also pursue gangs engaged in drug trafficking, casino operations and organized prostitution, as well as criminal groups colluding across borders.

Major and complex cases that have caused strong public concern, face serious investigative obstacles or attract widespread attention will be placed under special supervision.

Authorities may deploy police officers from other regions, transfer jurisdiction to higher-level authorities or establish special task forces to make breakthroughs in difficult cases.

Efforts will also be stepped up to trace, seize and recover criminal proceeds, dismantling the financial foundations of criminal organizations and preventing their resurgence.

The campaign will be closely coordinated with anti-corruption efforts.

Discipline inspection, supervisory and political-legal authorities will improve mechanisms for the rapid transfer of case leads and investigate officials who shield criminal organizations or provide them with protective networks.

Cases involving long-term collusion between criminal organizations and corrupt officials will receive particular attention. Procuratorates will also investigate duty-related crimes committed by judicial personnel in accordance with the law.

Alongside enforcement, authorities will strengthen governance in industries and regions prone to organized crime.

Oversight of online platforms, telecommunications operators, commercial banks and internet companies will be tightened.

Authorities will target criminal chains involving the illegal acquisition of personal information, illicit software development, account farming, online traffic diversion, money laundering, online lending and debt collection.

Regulatory recommendations and police risk notices will be used to close loopholes and improve industry governance.

In rural areas, authorities will target clan-based criminal organizations, strengthen village-level Party organizations, improve eligibility checks for village and community officials and focus on counties with frequent gang-related incidents or complex public security conditions.

The statement said the campaign will be conducted in accordance with the Criminal Law, the Anti-organized Crime Law and relevant judicial interpretations, with strict adherence to lawful procedures, the presumption of innocence and evidence-based adjudication.

No genuine organized crime should be overlooked, while cases that do not meet the legal definition must not be treated as such, it said. The lawful rights of suspects, defendants and lawyers must also be protected.

Members of the public may submit information through the national 12337 online reporting platform, channels operated by public security and public complaints authorities, provincial anti-gang offices, industry regulators and internet platforms, as well as newly announced local hotlines and addresses.

Reports will be promptly referred, investigated and followed up, with higher-level reviews conducted when necessary. Confidentiality, personal protection and reward mechanisms will be used to encourage public participation.

The campaign combines concentrated enforcement with long-term governance, aiming not only to punish criminal organizations but also to eliminate the conditions that allow them to grow, according to the statement.

In 2025, criminal cases and homicide cases fell 12.8 percent and 8.7 percent year-on-year, respectively, both reaching their lowest levels this century. Public satisfaction with the crackdown on organized crime reached 94.55 percent, while the public sense of security stood at 98.23 percent.