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In a controversial move, China has just approved a new law extending the powers of the Communist Party’s internal anti-corruption watchdog to cover millions more people.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The law empowers the newly established National Supervisory Commission, as well as its local branches, to oversee a vast number of public sector managers, even if they are not party members.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Here’s what you need to know.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> What is China’s fight against corruption?<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Calling corruption the greatest threat to the Communist regime, President Xi Jinping launched a sweeping anti-graft campaign after he came to power in 2012.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The party’s powerful graft-buster, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), has since punished 1.5 million cadres, including dozens of senior officials.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The drive has received popular support in a society long plagued by corruption.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> But critics say Xi is also using the campaign to bring down political enemies and enforce loyalty.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> China<\/span> still ranks 77th out of 180 countries in the 2017 Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International, lagging behind Singapore (6th), the US (16th) and Tunisia (74th).<\/span><\/p> <\/p> How is the new system different from the old one?<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The anti-corruption system 2.0 has much greater authority.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The newly established National Supervisory Commission merges the powers of the CCDI and several state anti-graft arms.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The party’s graft watchdog, which still exists, only has power over China’s 89 million Communist Party members.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> But the supervisory commissions oversee all civil servants, in addition to employees at public hospitals, schools, sports groups and state-owned enterprises.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Cheng Chen, a political scientist at the University at Albany, says the impact of the new system will be far-reaching, given the vast numbers of workers in the public sector.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> “<\/span>There is likely to be a heightened sense of anxiety among society, especially in the private and business sectors, now that the ‘rules of the game’ are changing,” she says.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Newly appointed Vice-President Wang Qishan made his name spearheading President Xi’s anti-corruption drive.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Why did Beijing introduce the supervisory system?<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The Communist Party says that it needs a centralized body to carry out the anti-corruption drive in a more effective and accountable fashion.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> In the past, the party’s graft investigators sometimes operated outside the law to lock up suspects, question them and extract confessions.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The new supervisory law, approved by the parliament on Tuesday, brings such investigations into China’s legal system.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> “<\/span>It is the most clear sign so far that the Communist regime is determined to institutionalize Xi’s anti-corruption campaign,” Chen says.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The most high-ranking victim of Xi’s campaign was former security chief Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> What’s controversial about this system?<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The legislation has prompted concerns that the supervisory commissions – which are independent from the judiciary as well as subordinate to the Communist Party – will serve as a powerful weapon to weed out opposition.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> Human rights advocates say the law also risks encouraging the rights abuses, such as torture and enforced confessions, that were common in the old system.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> According to the supervision law, graft inspectors can detain suspects for up to six months without permission from prosecutors or judges.<\/span><\/p> <\/p> The law also fails to ensure that suspects have access to counsel, which is a right provided under China’s Criminal Procedure Law.<\/span><\/p> <\/p>