After a year and a half of falling from grace, Yang Xiaowei, the Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes totaling more than 33.19 million yuan. Yang previously held positions such as Vice President of China Unicom, General Manager of China Telecom Group Limited, and Deputy Director of the State Administration of Radio and Television.
On October 20th, the Xiangyang Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei Province publicly pronounced the verdict on Yang Xiaowei’s bribery case, sentencing him to 12 years in prison and imposing a fine of 3 million yuan.
The court stated that from 2004 to 2025, Yang Xiaowei used his positions as Vice President of China Unicom, Vice President and General Manager of China Telecom Group, Deputy Director of the State Administration of Radio and Television, and Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC, to provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in obtaining investments, project bidding, and engineering contracts, illegally accepting a total of over 33.19 million yuan in cash and gifts.
Yang Xiaowei was officially removed from office on April 17, 2025, and was later expelled from the Party in November of the same year, then transferred to judicial authorities. In April of this year, the prosecutor filed a lawsuit, and on June 25th, the Xiangyang Intermediate People’s Court publicly held a trial for the case.
Public records show that Yang Xiaowei, born in September 1963 in Chongqing, started working in July 1981. Yang worked in Chongqing in his early years, holding positions such as Deputy Director of Chongqing Telecommunications Bureau, Deputy Director of Chongqing Telecom Management Bureau, and Director of Chongqing Communications Management Bureau.
In 2002, Yang Xiaowei was appointed General Manager of China Unicom’s Chongqing Branch, later serving as General Manager of China Unicom’s Guangdong Branch, Vice President, and Director of China Unicom.
In 2008, Yang Xiaowei became a Director and Vice President of China Telecom Group, and in 2016, he was promoted to Director and General Manager.
In June 2017, Yang Xiaowei was transferred from China Telecom to serve as Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization of the Communist Party of China and Vice Minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China. In May of the following year, he was appointed as Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cybersecurity and Informatization and Vice Minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
In August 2021, Yang Xiaowei was appointed Deputy Director of the State Administration of Radio and Television, and in March 2023, he also served as Deputy Director of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC.
In December 2023, Yang Xiaowei stepped down from his position as Deputy Director of the State Administration of Radio and Television, retaining only the aforementioned CPPCC position until his investigation.