China's anti-graft drive focuses on misconduct, spotlights minister's conviction

China will focus its corruption crackdown on preventing misconduct from escalating into graft, the state broadcaster said in a documentary series highlighting the crimes of a disgraced former minister.



Beijing's "high-pressure campaign" on graft led to many high-profile investigations last year, reflecting President Xi Jinping's unrelenting drive for more than a decade to root out corruption and enforce discipline in the ruling Communist Party.



The first episode of the CCTV-produced series titled "Unwavering in Our Resolve, Unyielding in Our Step" aired on Sunday, a day before the top anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) began an annual meeting.



The video showcased former Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian, convicted and sentenced for bribery last September, detailing his lavish banquets, entertainment and family benefits as some rural projects he was involved in were mostly abandoned.



Tang expressed remorse during his video appearance, clad in a plain black T-shirt.



"Whether it was eating and drinking in violation of regulations or having fun, I was constantly thinking about such things at that time," he said.



"In fact, in the end, it wears down your will," said Tang, who received a suspended death sentence after admitting to taking bribes worth more ‌than 268 million yuan ($38 million).