Editor's Note: Setting the Rules Straight: How the World's Largest Party Governs Itself is a 12-episode video series offering an in-depth examination of how a century-old governing party, Communist Party of China or CPC, confronts its internal challenges and seeks to renew itself. The series invites viewers to look beyond short-term political cycles and consider a fundamental question: What does it take to sustain effective governance over generations? 

The fourth episode explores how China is dismantling corruption networks that shield criminal activities and obstruct reform, from cracking down on officials who act as "protective umbrellas" for criminal groups to strengthening oversight through digital tools and institutional reforms. 

In parts of Southeast Asia, scam centers have grown into a global criminal industry. Some operate with the help of corrupt officials who turn a blind eye, tip off criminals, or interfere with investigations.

In China, there's a vivid term for such officials: "protective umbrellas." Just as an umbrella shields people from rain, these officials shield criminals from the law.

But the damage doesn't stop there. When corrupt officials form networks of protection, they can also become roadblocks to reform. They have a vested interest in keeping things as they are. Stronger oversight, tougher enforcement, or new rules could threaten the benefits they enjoy. And when those roadblocks remain, even the best reforms can struggle to move forward.

So how does China dismantle these protective umbrellas and remove the roadblocks they create? At its Fifth Plenary Session, the 20th CPC Central Committee called for integrated measures to ensure officials do not dare, cannot, and do not want to engage in corruption.

The policy calls for continued efforts to dismantle criminal protection networks. But catching corrupt officials is only the beginning. It also calls for stronger coordination between supervisory authorities and other departments, using major corruption cases to uncover systemic problems, and closing loopholes that allow public power to be abused.

China is also developing digital supervision tools and a big data platform to monitor the exercise of public power, making it harder for corrupt networks to operate unnoticed.

In 2025, Chinese prosecutors brought charges against 9,870 people for organized-crime-related offenses and 65 public officials accused of acting as protective umbrellas.

These figures point to a broader lesson: fighting crime and advancing reform both require more than removing those directly responsible. They require dismantling the networks that shield wrongdoing and closing the loopholes that allow it to persist. That's why turning the measures set out at the Fifth Plenary Session into concrete action matters, not only to bring down protective umbrellas, but also to clear the way for lasting reform.