China's mineral-rich provinces see most senior corruption dismissals under Xi Jinping

A South China Morning Post analysis has found that China's mineral-rich provinces have seen the highest number of senior officials dismissed during President Xi Jinping's decade-long anti-corruption campaign, suggesting that the country's resource wealth may be fueling corruption at the highest levels of government.

Jiangxi, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Hebei, all abundant in minerals, top the list of provinces with the most senior officials removed for corruption. These regions hold resources ranging from coal, which powers China's economy, to rare minerals essential for advanced industrial equipment and military technology. The research highlights how areas rich in natural resources critical to the world's second-largest economy have become hotbeds for deep-seated corruption.

The abundance of extractable resources in China's less developed regions appears to create conditions that enable entrenched corruption. Beneath the desolate Gobi Desert and sparsely populated mountains lie massive mineral deposits that are vital to both China's basic energy needs and its cutting-edge technological ambitions. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's annual plenary sessions have repeatedly emphasized the need to intensify anti-corruption efforts in areas "where power, funds and resources are concentrated."

The pattern documented in the Post's research suggests Beijing is attempting to combat what analysts call the "resource curse", a phenomenon where regions rich in natural resources paradoxically suffer from poor governance and corruption. China's border and resource-rich provinces have become focal points of this crackdown as authorities work to break this cycle.

Despite sitting atop resources critical to the world's second-largest economy, the Gobi Desert and mountainous areas where these mineral reserves are located remain sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped. The gap between resource abundance and local development has created opportunities for officials to exploit their control over mining rights and associated funds, making these regions prime targets in Xi's ongoing battle against official misconduct.