On September 22, 2026, the official announcement from the Chinese Communist Party revealed that Wu Xiaojun, the Party Secretary of Qinghai Province, was transferred to the same position in Gansu Province. Luo Dongchuan, the Governor of Qinghai Province, was promoted to the Party Secretary of Qinghai Province. As of October 20, 2026, the successor to the position of Governor of Qinghai Province has not been clarified yet. Luo Dongchuan has been serving as both the Party Secretary and Governor of Qinghai Province for four weeks.
Within a month before and after Luo Dongchuan’s promotion to Party Secretary of Qinghai Province, nearly ten officials from Qinghai Province have been investigated, including three officials from the forestry department of Qinghai Province. The forestry system is known to be an area of interest for Jiang Zemin’s sister, Jiang Zehui, who has had close interactions with the Qinghai Province forestry department.
Luo Dongchuan’s background indicates that he is not part of Xi Jinping’s faction of officials. He is a Beijing University law school classmate of current Central Organization Department Minister Shi Taifeng, who is responsible for the selection and assessment of high-ranking officials at the provincial level. He is also an alumnus of Beijing University along with Hu Chunhua, a prominent member of the Communist Party, and a former colleague of Wang Qishan, former chief of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and Zhou Qiang, former President of the Supreme People’s Court. The personnel changes and cleansing trends in the Qinghai Province government release significant political signals that deserve attention.
Luo Dongchuan, born in October 1965 in Chongqing, is now 61 years old. He enrolled in the law department of Beijing University in September 1982, graduated in 1986, obtained a master’s degree in civil and commercial law from Wuhan University in 1991, and a doctorate in law from Beijing University in 2004.
Premier Li Keqiang of the Chinese Communist Party was among the first group of students to be enrolled in the law department of Beijing University after the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977. He entered in March 1978 and graduated in February 1982. After graduation, he stayed on at the university as the Secretary of the Youth League Committee for a year before moving on to the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League.
Shi Taifeng, the current member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of the Central Organization Department, entered the law department of Beijing University in September 1978. After graduating in September 1982, he continued his studies for a master’s degree and then joined the Communist Party Central Party School in July 1985.
Luo Dongchuan is a junior of Li Keqiang and Shi Taifeng in the law department of Beijing University, and the three had intersecting times in their studies and careers at Beijing University.
Additionally, Hu Chunhua, a prominent member of the Communist Party, entered the Chinese department of Beijing University in 1979 and graduated in 1983. Luo Dongchuan is also an alumnus of Beijing University along with Hu Chunhua.
After graduating from Beijing University in 1986, Luo Dongchuan served in the Beijing court system for a long time, holding positions such as Deputy and Chief of the Intellectual Property Court of the First Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing, as well as serving nearly 14 and a half years at the Supreme People’s Court from December 2000 to July 2015, working under three different Presidents of the Supreme People’s Court: Xiao Yang (March 1998–March 2008), Wang Shengjun (March 2008–March 2013), and Zhou Qiang (March 2013–March 2023).
During Zhou Qiang’s tenure as President of the Supreme People’s Court, Luo Dongchuan was promoted to Chief of the Civil Trial Fourth Division of the Supreme People’s Court in June 2013 and became a member of the Trial Committee of the Supreme People’s Court in December 2013.
Subsequently, from July 2018 to July 2020, Luo Dongchuan served as a member of the Party Group, Vice President, and member of the Trial Committee of the Supreme People’s Court, as well as the Party Group Secretary and Chief of the Intellectual Property Court Section; working as Zhou Qiang’s deputy for two years.
During Zhou Qiang’s time as the Secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee from 1995 to 1998, Hu Chunhua, also a member of the Communist Youth League Central Committee, served as the Secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee and Deputy Secretary for nearly four years. Zhou Qiang and Hu Chunhua currently serve as Vice Chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
After the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, while Wang Qishan held the position of Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in July 2015, Luo Dongchuan was transferred from the Supreme People’s Court to serve as the Director of the Case Handling Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, being promoted to deputy ministerial level.
On the eve of Wang Qishan stepping down as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection before the 19th National Congress in April 2017, Luo Dongchuan was transferred to Xinjiang in April, where he assumed the position of Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.
After the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party during Xi Jinping’s second term, Wang Qishan served as a nominal Vice President of the country and later retired completely after five years. In recent years, several of Wang Qishan’s close associates have been purged. There are rumors that Wang Qishan has effectively been put under house arrest in Beijing.
However, on August 17, 2026, Wang Qishan and some retired elders appeared at a major event marking the birthday of the former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin. On October 13, 2026, Wang Qishan, as the honorary chairman of the Advisory Committee of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, held a customary meeting and banquet for members of the Advisory Committee.
After the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, during Chen Xi’s tenure as Minister of the Central Organization Department, Luo Dongchuan returned to the Supreme People’s Court in July 2018 as a member of the Party Group, Vice President, and in July 2020, he was transferred to his hometown Fujian to serve as a member of the standing committee of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In October 2021, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Party Committee.
After the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Luo Dongchuan was appointed as Deputy Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Group of the Provincial Government in December 2024. In January 2025, he became the Governor of Qinghai Province and was promoted to the ministerial level. In less than two years, he has now been promoted to Party Secretary of Qinghai Province.
Chen Xi, a classmate of Xi Jinping during his time at Tsinghua University, has long been known as Xi Jinping’s “personnel manager” since the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. After the 20th National Congress, Chen Xi, who was no longer a member of the Political Bureau or Central Committee, delayed his resignation as Minister of the Central Organization Department until April 2023 and continued to serve as the President of the Central Party School (National School of Administration) until June 2026.
In recent times when Chen Xi stepped down, various self-media commentators alleged that Chen Xi was involved in a case related to Wei Xiaodong, Chairman of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from Fujian Province.
In recent years, the Central Organization Department of Xi Jinping’s trusted ally Chen Xi, the Tsinghua faction, the Fujian faction, as well as Fujian’s officialdom, have been the subject of successive purges. At a time when Chen Xi was losing power, Luo Dongchuan, who was promoted by Chen Xi and had previously worked in Fujian Province, was appointed as Party Secretary of Qinghai Province. This has led to speculation that Luo Dongchuan’s career advancement is related to his Beijing University law school senior, Shi Taifeng, Minister of the Central Organization Department, and even the influence of his senior officials behind him.
The website of the Discipline Inspection Commission in Qinghai Province shows that following Luo Dongchuan’s promotion to Party Secretary of Qinghai Province, from September 15 to October 18, 2026, three department officials in Qinghai Province were investigated. This includes Gao Jingyu, Deputy Director of the United Front Department of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee (October 18, 2026), Xi Re, former party committee member and Deputy Governor of Guoluo Prefecture, Qinghai Province (October 15, 2026, who actively surrendered), and Feng Peng, party committee member and Deputy General Manager of the State-owned Assets Investment Management Co., Ltd. of Qinghai Province (October 12, 2026). In addition, six department officials were subject to disciplinary actions, including Du Haimin, former party committee member and Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Public Security Department (October 16, 2026), Hao Lihua, former party committee member and General Manager of the State-owned Assets Investment Management Co., Ltd. of Qinghai Province (October 13, 2026), Zhang Aihong, former Deputy Secretary of the Haibei Prefecture Committee in Qinghai Province, former Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission (October 9, 2026), Zhang Wensheng, former party committee member and Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Huangnan Prefecture in Qinghai Province (September 29, 2026), Zhan Yuping, former member of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee in Guoluo Prefecture, former Secretary of the Dari County Committee (September 18, 2026), and Dang Xiaoyong, former party committee member and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department (September 15, 2026).
Among these officials, Gao Jingyu, the Deputy Director of the United Front Department of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee who was investigated on October 18, 1968, had long worked in the forestry system of Qinghai Province. From September 2011 to January 2023, he successively served as a party committee member and Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department and a party committee member and Deputy Director of the Forestry and Grassland Administration of Qinghai Province for over 11 years.
Du Haimin, former Deputy Director and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forest Public Security Bureau, Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department, Party Committee member, and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forest Public Security Bureau, Deputy Director, Party Committee member, and Director of the Forestry and Grassland Administration in Qinghai Province, Deputy Director, Party Committee member, and Director of the Forestry and Grassland Administration in Qinghai Province, Deputy Director, Party Committee member, and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forest Public Security Bureau member, and Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Public Security Department; he surrendered voluntarily on May 9, 2026.
Dang Xiaoyong, who was subject to disciplinary actions, was born in June 1962 and served as Deputy Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Bureau. From June 2011 to May 2018, he worked as a party committee member and Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department and was investigated in April 2026.
Gao Jingyu, Du Haimin, and Dang Xiaoyong had long-standing connections in the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department.
It is noteworthy that the forestry system is considered an interest area for Jiang Zemin’s sister, Jiang Zehui. Public reports have shown that Jiang Zehui had close interactions with officials from the Qinghai provincial government and the forestry department.
Jiang Zehui, originally an ordinary teacher at Anhui Agricultural University, rose in ranks due to her cousin Jiang Zemin’s power and became the President of Anhui Agricultural University and Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial People’s Congress. In January 1996, she moved to Beijing to become a member of the Communist Party Committee of the Ministry of Forestry in China (vice-ministerial level). From February 1996 to December 2006, she served as Director and Party Committee Secretary of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and later held positions such as Chief Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, Executive Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the National Forestry Administration, and overall leader of the Chinese Forest Resource Accounting Research Project. She currently serves as Chief Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the International Bamboo and Rattan Center, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization, and President of the China Flower Association.
As early as January 13, 2001, Jiang Zehui, in her capacity as Director of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, signed a cooperation agreement with Qinghai Province to protect the headwaters of the three major rivers on the mainland, jointly establishing the Qinghai Plateau Ecological Forestry Research Center. According to the agreement, the Chinese Academy of Forestry would send experts to serve as technical consultants, while Qinghai Province would provide convenience for the Chinese Academy of Forestry in technical experiments, demonstrations, and the establishment of research bases.
At that time, the Secretary of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee was Bai Enpei, and the Governor was Zhao Leji. Bai Enpei was arrested in August 2014 and was sentenced to death with a reprieve in October 2016. Zhao Leji currently serves as a member of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chairman of the National People’s Congress.
According to the official website of the International Bamboo and Rattan Center, from July 12 to 14, 2011, the National Forestry Administration Technology Department and the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department organized the “International Conference on Climate Change and Ecosystem Carbon Sequestration on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau” in Xining, Qinghai Province. Jiang Zehui, the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Director of the International Bamboo and Rattan Center, attended the conference and delivered keynote speeches. After the conference, Jiang Zehui visited the demonstration site in Huzhuan, Huangyuan County, Xining City, accompanied by officials including Dang Xiaoyong, then Director of the Qinghai Provincial Forestry Department.
Since coming to power during the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping has promoted his former associates, forming factions such as the Xi family’s Fujian faction, Zhejiang faction, Shanghai faction, Tsinghua faction, and Shandong faction to seize key positions in the party, government, and military.
In recent years, with rumors circulating about Xi Jinping’s health and power crisis, there have been unusual changes in personnel at the Central Organization Department, with the positions of Chie Taifeng, a graduate of Peking University, and Li Ganjie, a member of the Tsinghua faction of the Xi family, being exchanged, and they have taken over the Central Organization Department. At the same time, factions such as the Fujian faction, Shandong faction, and Tsinghua faction of the Xi family have been repeatedly purged; officials not belonging to Xi’s faction, especially those from the former State Council administrations of Wen Jiabao and Li Keqiang, have been appointed to important positions at the provincial level.
After the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the Youth Faction was “annihilated.” Since the 20th Congress, Wang Qishan’s confidants have been successively purged. Luo Dongchuan, as Li Keqiang’s junior, Hu Chunhua’s alum, and Wang Qishan’s former colleague, has now seen a career advancement, reflecting the current political situation in the higher echelons of Zhongnanhai, with internal struggles and undercurrents.
On October 13, 2026, Huang Qifan, a member of the Shanghai faction and former Mayor of Chongqing who had been retired for many years, was officially announced to be under investigation. Some sources indicate that Huang Qifan’s case is unprecedented in its broad scope and high level of involvement and deeply intertwined with the Jiang Zemin family and various factions; officials from the Jiang Zemin era are facing comprehensive scrutiny. In response, before the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the interest area of Jiang Zehui was purged, leading to a major reshuffle of officials at high levels in Shanghai, the political stronghold of Jiang Zemin, and in the top echelons of the officialdom of Jiangsu Province, his hometown. Officials were intensively investigated.
Many signs indicate sensitive changes in the personnel layout and disciplinary cleansing trends in Zhongnanhai; Xi Jinping may no longer have full control over appointments of provincial-level officials, and factions such as the Shanghai faction of the Jiang faction and even the Jiang Zemin family may have become targets of purges.
(Note: Originally published by Daijiyuan on October 20, 2026)