In recent months, three officials from the water resources department in Zhejiang Province have successively turned themselves in, including former deputy director Yang Jiong and Jiang Ruhua from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources.
Cases of corruption within the CCP’s water resources system in the past six months have been frequent. Over ten officials at the departmental and deputy ministerial level have been investigated, including Tian Xuebin, deputy minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, Hou Jingmin, former director of the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Water Resources, Zhou Dengtao, former director of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Water Resources, and Wang Rongxi, former director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Water Resources.
On July 14, 2026, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the CCP reported that Yang Jiong, former party member and deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources, voluntarily surrendered to authorities, facing serious allegations of violating discipline and laws.
According to public records, Yang Jiong, born in March 1963 in Zhuji, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, graduated with a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from Zhejiang University and holds the title of senior engineer. He has held various positions throughout his career, including as deputy chief engineer of the Sanxi Water Resources Hub Project Command in Wenzhou, deputy chief engineer and chief engineer of the Zhejiang Water Resources and Hydroelectric Survey and Design Institute, and deputy chief engineer of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources. He was appointed as a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources Party Committee and deputy director in May 2013, before transitioning to the role of a first-class inspector in March 2023.
Yang Jiong is the third department-level official in the water resources system of Zhejiang Province to turn himself in within the past four months.
On June 26, 2026, Yan Qibin, deputy secretary of the Party Committee at Zhejiang Foreign Language College, voluntarily surrendered to authorities for alleged serious violations of discipline and laws.
Public information reveals that Yan Qibin, born in September 1969 in Linhai, Taizhou, Zhejiang, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Zhejiang University and holds the title of senior engineer. He has served in various roles, including director of the Zhejiang Provincial Waterway Management General Station, director and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Water and Hydropower Engineering Bureau, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Water and Hydropower Technology Consulting Center, director of the Construction Department (Safety Supervision Department) of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Trade Union of Zhejiang Water Resources and Hydropower Institute. In January 2024, he was appointed deputy secretary of the Party Committee at Zhejiang Foreign Language College.
On March 20, 2026, Jiang Ruhua, former party member and deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources, voluntarily turned himself in for suspected serious violations of discipline and laws.
Public information shows that Jiang Ruhua, born in June 1962 in Jinhua, Zhejiang, a graduate and Master of Military Science from the National Defense University, served in various positions in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, including as deputy chief of staff, chief of staff, deputy battalion commander, battalion commander, deputy chief of staff of the Navy Ship Detachment, deputy commander, deputy chief of staff of the Navy Support Base, and chief of staff. In January 2013, he switched to work in the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources as deputy director and party member, before resigning in July 2022.
Yang Jiong, Yan Qibin, and Jiang Ruhua have had long-standing connections within the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Water Resources and the water resources system.
On July 2, 2026, Zhou Dengtao, former party secretary and director of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Water Resources, was expelled from the CCP and removed from public office, being sent for judicial proceedings. The notification stated that Zhou Dengtao obstructed inspection work, provided money to state employees to seek job promotions, intervened in construction projects’ bidding and contracting irregularly, used his position for personal gain by accepting large sums of illegal money, and offered significant amounts of money to state employees for undue benefits.
Zhou Dengtao, a member of the Tujia ethnic group from Yanhe, Guizhou, born in August 1965, has held various positions within the Guizhou Provincial water resources system, including deputy director and party member of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Water Resources, general manager, and chairman of the board of Guizhou Provincial Water Resources Investment (Group) Co., Ltd. He served as the party secretary and director of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Water Resources from January 2022 to July 2024 when he was placed under investigation on November 6, 2024.
In January 2025, an anti-corruption documentary broadcasted on Guizhou TV mentioned three department-level officials falling from grace within the Guizhou Provincial water resources system in response to the largesse, concentrated funding, and significant corruption risks present in the water resources sector. The documentary highlighted officials resorting to various means to seek higher positions, including bribery and buying promotions, in their quest for personal gain.
Corruption scandals involving officials in the CCP’s water resources system have continued to unfold in 2026.
On June 26, 2026, Hou Jingmin, former director of the Personnel Department of the CCP’s Ministry of Water Resources, was investigated. Hou Jingmin, born in October 1962 in Heyang County, Shaanxi, served in the military from February 1982 to December 1987, then transitioned to work in the Personnel and Labor Education Department of the Ministry of Water Resources. He held various positions within the department, eventually becoming the director of the Personnel Department in October 2012.
At the beginning of the year, on January 5, 2026, Tian Xuebin, former party member and deputy minister of the CCP’s Ministry of Water Resources, was under investigation and subsequently had his National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) membership revoked on February 6.
Other department-level officials from the CCP’s water resources system that have fallen from grace in the past six months include Zhu Haisheng, former deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Water Resources (May 11, 2026), Zhu Zehua, party secretary and director of the Dujiangyan Water Resources Development Center in Sichuan Province (May 7, 2026), Wang Rongxi, former party secretary and director of the Anhui Provincial Department of Water Resources (March 27, 2026), Xu Yanbin, member of the Party Committee and director of the Poyang Lake Water Resources Hub Construction Office in Jiangxi Province (March 24, 2026), and Chen Wenfu, first-class consultant of the Three Gorges Construction Group (March 23, 2026).