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China targets middlemen in renewed crackdown on ‘hidden’ corruption

China’s top judicial bodies have detailed ways that the country’s criminal law can be applied to corrupt middlemen, refining the criteria for tackling “new and…

By Samantha Johnson / April 11, 2026
China’s top judicial bodies have detailed ways that the country’s criminal law can be applied to corrupt middlemen, refining the criteria for tackling “new and hidden forms of corruption”.

The guidance was part of a judicial interpretation released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Friday.

In it, the bodies highlight the need to enforce the law against all participants in the corruption chain, for the direct bribe-givers and recipients to intermediaries, officials and management personnel.

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The interpretation is aimed at both deterring these intermediaries and helping prosecutors and judges throughout the country apply criminal law more accurately and handle related cases more efficiently.

It forms part of a broader push against “hidden corruption”, or graft that distances the recipient and the giver through various separating transactional layers.

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According to the judicial interpretation, those acting as intermediaries or facilitators in the bribery process will also be held criminally liable.

If a bribe to an individual exceeds 100,000 yuan (US$14,640), or a bribe to an organisation exceeds 500,000 yuan, a middleman’s actions could amount to a “serious offence” and attract penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, along with fines.

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