Sweeping and eliminating evils: a diachronic study of mafia in China

Abstract Mafia organizations have long been a threat to Chinese society. The development of mafia organizations in China have experienced four stages: formation, dying out, resurgence, and recurrence. The Chinese government has attached great importance to the governance of mafia organizations and has suppressed mafia forces with some notable achievements. In January 2018, the Chinese government carried out a nationwide special campaign, “sweeping and eliminating evils” [sao hei chu’ e], to crack down gangs’ crimes in China. Different from previous actions, the recent campaign has changed its focus from “fighting” [da] to “sweeping” [sao], showing the changing focus of Beijing’s strategy in the crackdown on mafia organizations. In view of this, this study investigates the past, present and future of China’s governance of mafia organization crimes in the current context from a historical, norm-analytical approach. On the basis of a systematic review on the development of mafia organizations in China, this study, drawing on the current situation, discusses the process and main strategies of the mafia organization governance, and analyses the reasons for and the problems in the special campaign “sweeping and eliminating evils” in the new era. This study also provides plans and suggestions on how to advance the campaign from the perspective of the rule of law.