“But with Xi focussing on corruption, they’ll just ‘lay flat’. Mr Xi, of course, doesn’t want to allow this and is demanding that they work hard lest their corruption be exposed. But the crackdown has gone on for over 10 years now and officials have become used to it. If you chase me to do work, I’ll put in a bit more effort. If you stop using the whip on me, I’ll just take it easy for a while and ‘lay flat'”.