On May 29, a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Bi Jingquan, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy director of the Economic Committee, was announced to be under investigation. He previously served as the director of the State Food and Drug Administration and resigned seven years ago due to the vaccine issue involving Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Company.
According to a notice from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CCP and the National Supervisory Commission on May 29, Bi Jingquan is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision investigation by the aforementioned agencies.
Bi Jingquan was born in September 1955 in Qing’an County, Heilongjiang Province. He previously worked at the National Development and Reform Commission of the CCP, holding positions such as director of the Economic and Trade Department, secretary-general, and deputy director.
In March 2008, Bi Jingquan was appointed as the Vice Secretary-General of the State Council, assisting then-Vice Premier Wang Qishan in his work. After Li Keqiang became the Premier and led the State Council in March 2013, Bi Jingquan also assisted Vice Premier Wang Yang.
In February 2015, Bi Jingquan became the director of the State Food and Drug Administration, and in March 2018, he became the deputy director of the State Administration for Market Regulation.
In August 2020, Bi Jingquan was appointed as the deputy director of the Economic Committee of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, and in March 2023, he became a member of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC and deputy director of the Economic Committee.
Bi Jingquan also serves as the Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. According to its official website, the organization’s main business is to conduct research on major international and domestic economic issues, provide intellectual support to government departments, and offer an economic exchange platform for enterprises and various sectors of society.
Of note, in August 2018, Bi Jingquan resigned from his position due to the vaccine case involving the Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology Company, becoming the first central committee member of the CCP to be dealt with since the 19th National Congress.
On July 15, 2018, Changchun Changsheng was found to have produced “human rabies vaccine for freeze-drying” with falsified records, and six days later, they were found to have used expired eggs to produce vaccines. At the time, Bi Jingquan was the Deputy Director of the State Administration for Market Regulation and served as the head of the CCP State Council investigation team.
At that time, an anonymous administrative law expert mentioned that for Bi Jingquan, resigning due to fault was not a strict administrative penalty, only involving the revocation of original duties while retaining his administrative rank.