On Jan 14, the fourth episode of the TV special *Never Stop, Never Retreat* — co-produced by China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and CCTV — aired, focusing on “Technology Empowering Anti-Corruption.” The episode spotlighted the case of Yao Qian, former director of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC)’s Science and Technology Supervision Department and former head of its Information Center. It detailed virtual currency storage and transfer mechanisms, noting that using virtual currencies to hide corrupt proceeds is a new form of hidden corruption. Cai Kunqing, a staffer with Guangdong’s Shantou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, stated: “During searches, two key items must be checked: first, whether a hardware wallet exists; second, whether there are papers with irregular mnemonic phrases — these are critical.” Using blockchain technology, the task force not only traced the 2018 transfer of 2,000 Ethereum from a wallet linked to an individual named Zhang to Yao’s Ethereum wallet, but also tracked Yao’s 2021 transfer of 370 Ethereum, which was exchanged for 10 million yuan. The task force conducted electronic forensics in compliance with rules, discipline, and laws, ensuring all evidence corroborated to form a closed loop. Faced with this solid evidence chain, Yao admitted to his disciplinary violations and illegal activities. The episode concluded that under high-pressure anti-corruption efforts, no matter how corrupt methods evolve or become more hidden, as long as the core of corruption — power-for-money transactions — is firmly grasped, rules/discipline/laws are strictly enforced, technologies like big data are fully leveraged, investigation efforts are intensified, and effective prevention methods are expanded, no form of corruption will escape detection.
