The political scene in Chongqing, China remains in turmoil as several high-ranking officials have fallen from power. Following the downfall of Chongqing’s Mayor Hu Henghua and Communist Party Committee member Luo Jin, official reports state that Chongqing’s Vice Mayor and Public Security Bureau Chief, Zhang Anjiang, passed away due to illness, although rumors circulating online suggest he may have died from jumping off a building. Chongqing’s Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun is also rumored to be in a precarious position, with a “death photo” circulating online.
On May 8, after being removed from office for a year and a half, former Communist Party Committee member and Political and Legal Committee Secretary of Chongqing, Lu Kehua, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption involving over 1.89 billion yuan.
The day before on May 7, official reports from Chongqing stated that Vice Mayor Zhang Anjiang had passed away due to a “sudden illness.” However, online rumors suggest that Zhang Anjiang may have died from falling off a building.
Earlier this year, on March 20, Chongqing’s Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor Hu Henghua was investigated during his tenure; on April 17, Communist Party Committee member of Chongqing and Secretary of the Liangjiang New Area Committee, Luo Jin, was removed from office.
On October 25, 2025, Chongqing’s Vice Mayor Jiang Duntao was also investigated during his tenure.
With key figures in Chongqing’s political arena facing consecutive troubles, Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun is also said to be in a risky situation.
Commentator Zuo Peng posted on X on May 9, stating that Yuan Jiajun’s situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, and Premier Li Qiang may no longer be able to protect him. In the military corruption case, Ma Xingrui helped Yuan Jiajun avoid trouble, but unexpectedly, Yuan got involved in the bribery case of Sanan Optoelectronics.
Zuo Peng posted a photo showing that in 2023, Sanan Optoelectronics and Italian semiconductor signed a 70 billion yuan investment agreement to carry out large-scale production of 8-inch silicon carbide (SiC) devices in Chongqing. On June 8 of that year, Chongqing’s Party Secretary Yuan Jiajun, Mayor Hu Henghua, Vice Mayor Jiang Duntao, Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area Secretary Luo Jin, Public Security Bureau Chief Zhang Anjiang, Sanan Group Chairman Lin Xiucheng, Sanan Optoelectronics Chairman Lin Zhiqiang, General Manager Lin Kechuang, and senior executives from Italian Semiconductor held a signing ceremony in Chongqing.
Multiple Chinese media outlets previously reported this official message. Among the high-ranking officials present at the signing ceremony, Hu Henghua, Jiang Duntao, and Luo Jin had been removed from office, while Zhang Anjiang’s death was suspicious. Both Lin Xiucheng and his son-in-law Lin Kechuang were arrested in March and April, respectively.
Zuo Peng mentioned that Hu Henghua’s downfall is not only related to the Sanan Optoelectronics bribery case, but rumors suggest that Lin Xiucheng facilitated the smooth signing of the 70 billion yuan project in Chongqing by bribing key leaders of the Chongqing Communist Party with untraceable cryptocurrency Tether (USDT). Hu Henghua allegedly received over 30 million USDT, equivalent to more than 30 million US dollars, and Jiang Duntao, Luo Jin, and Zhang Anjiang each received nearly ten million USDT. Regarding Yuan Jiajun’s involvement, since he has not been removed from office, the exact amount he received remains unknown, but given that Hu Henghua allegedly received over 30 million USDT, Yuan Jiajun’s amount is expected to be even higher. The arrests of Lin Xiucheng and Lin Kechuang this year indicate the severity of the Sanan Optoelectronics case.
In the aforementioned revelations of officials involved in corruption, some were confirmed in a previous report by Caixin Net.
Caixin Net cited a source on April 29, stating that Peng Jing, founder and director of Jingsheng Law Firm in Chongqing, was taken away by relevant departments on April 19, possibly related to the cases of Hu Henghua, Lu Kehua, and Jiang Duntao.
It is reported that in Hu Henghua’s case, Lin Kechuang, son-in-law of Lin Xiucheng, gave Hu Henghua 30.8 million USDT (equivalent to 2.1 billion yuan, with 10 million being an exchange fee). After Hu Henghua was investigated, his cold wallet was seized, and the authorities traced the funds in six other cold wallets held by Lin Kechuang; among them, a transaction of 15.5 million USDT was said to have been transferred to Luo Jin by Lin Kechuang.
Luo Jin was taken away on April 14, and the authorities found Luo Jin’s cold wallet in Peng Jing’s home, closely related to Luo.