China Arrests Zhou Yongkang, Powerful Communist Party Member

Zhou Yongkang, the former head of China's domestic security apparatus and one of the country's most powerful actors, has been arrested on charges of corruption, seemingly bringing to a climax a purge of Communist Party officials by President Xi Jinping.

The New York Times reports that Zhou is one of the highest-ranking party members to fall from grace since the violent purges of the Mao Zedong era. Many have interpreted the incident as a sign that Xi is serious about putting an end to the rampant corruption that defines the Chinese judiciary and political establishment.

Strangely, although Zhou has been arrested according to statements by the Chinese government reported by the Times, the exact nature of the charges that led to Zhou's arrest have not been made public. The Chinese state media only said that he had taken bribes and engaged in corruption without elaborating on the exact nature of those offenses.

The Times notes that Zhou's arrest comes after months in which his close associates and businesses where he held sway were also investigated and charged with corruption.

Zhou was sometimes understood to be a rival to Xi, so whether Zhou's arrest is a sign of a serious effort to eradicate corruption at all levels of the Communist Party, or a move to ensure that there are no challenges to Xi's rule, is not quite clear.

The Times says that given the gravity of the crimes, and the less than independent nature of the Chinese judicial system, it is extremely likely that Zhou will be found guilty and sentenced to a lengthy term in prison.

The Times also reports that many human rights organizations have blamed Zhou for setting back what little progress the country had made in guaranteeing legal rights for its citizens.