On April 16, 2026, amidst the entry of the CCP inspection team, there was a change in leadership at the National Medical Products Administration, with Li Li, who had long served in Jiangxi Province, being removed from the position of Party Secretary of the National Medical Products Administration.
Recently, the CCP’s Eighth and Ninth inspection teams have respectively entered five medical and health regulatory agencies, including the National Health Commission, the Bureau of Medical Insurance, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the State Administration of Disease Prevention and Control, and the State Drug Administration, to conduct inspections. In the past half month from the end of March 2026, there have been a series of cases involving the downfall of local medical regulatory officials.
According to a report from the CCP’s official media Xinhua News Agency, on the afternoon of April 16, 2026, a relevant official from the Central Organization Department attended a leadership meeting of the National Medical Products Administration and announced that Huang Guo was appointed as the Party Secretary of the National Medical Products Administration, replacing Li Li.
The newly appointed Party Secretary of the National Medical Products Administration, Huang Guo, with undisclosed age and hometown information, graduated from Shenyang Pharmaceutical University and had a long career in the CCP’s food and drug regulatory departments. Huang held various positions such as Deputy Director of the Office of the National Food and Drug Administration, Deputy Director of the Office of the National Food and Drug Administration, Director of the Information Center of the National Food and Drug Administration, and Party Secretary. In August 2022, he was promoted to the member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration.
According to public resume information, Li Li, who was removed from the position of Party Secretary of the National Medical Products Administration, was born in September 1962 in Xinfeng, Jiangxi. He graduated in Medical specialty from Gannan Medical College and held various positions such as Director of Dayu County People’s Hospital, Director of Dayu County Health Bureau, Deputy Director of Ganzhou Regional Health Bureau, Director of Ganzhou Regional People’s Hospital (at the department level). In March 2007, he became the Director of Jiangxi Provincial Health Department, and later served as the Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Health Commission in December 2013 and Deputy Governor of Jiangxi Province in December 2016.
Li Li was transferred in March 2018 to the newly established National Medical Products Administration as Deputy Director, Party Secretary, and member of the Party Committee of the National Administration for Market Regulation. In September 2023, Li Li, then 61 years old, succeeded Jiao Hong as Director of the National Medical Products Administration at the age of 60.
During his term as Director of the National Medical Products Administration, Li Li held a series of positions in the Jiangxi Provincial Health Department, Health Commission, and as Deputy Governor. He successively served under four Jiangxi Provincial Party Secretaries: Meng Jianzhu (from April 2001 to November 2007), Su Rong (from November 2007 to March 2013), Qiang Wei (from March 2013 to June 2016), and Lu Xinshe (from June 2016 to March 2018). He also worked under three Jiangxi Provincial Governors: Wu Xinxiong (from October 2006 to May 2011), Lu Xinshe (from June 2011 to July 2016), and Liu Qi (from July 2016 to August 2018).
Notably, Meng Jianzhu, Su Rong, Qiang Wei, Lu Xinshe, and Wu Xinxiong are influential figures in Jiangxi, closely associated with former Politburo Standing Committee member Zeng Qinghong. Su Rong was ousted from his position as Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in June 2014, later being sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2017.
The National Medical Products Administration under the CCP is a national agency responsible for the approval and supervision of drugs, vaccines, medical devices, and cosmetics, known to be a hotspot for corruption among officials.
On February 26, 2025, Chen Shifei, a former Party Secretary and Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration, retired two years ago, was investigated.
Chen Shifei, who came from the “Zhijiang New Army”, was a former comrade of CCP leader Xi Jinping in Zhejiang. He served in the Zhejiang drug supervision system for 35 years, including as Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Drug Administration, Deputy Director of the Food and Drug Administration, and Director. In September 2018, Chen was transferred to the National Medical Products Administration as Deputy Director and Party Committee member, stepping down in August 2022. During his tenure, Chen served as Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration under Li Li for nearly four years.
While serving as Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration, Chen Shifei was responsible for the approval of drugs and vaccines for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bearing significant responsibility for the potential harm caused by these vaccines. There were also connections between Chen Shifei and the corrupt networks behind the pharmaceutical companies producing COVID-19 drugs and vaccines.
Chen Shifei was expelled from the party on July 30, 2025, and prosecuted in November 2025. The official announcement stated that Chen Shifei engaged in “using his position for personal gain,” engaging in power-for-money transactions, and illegally accepting large sums of money while using his position to profit in issues related to processing drug production permits and other aspects.
The replacement of the Party Secretary of the National Medical Products Administration under the CCP at a sensitive time coincides with the entry of the Central Inspection Team.
According to a report on the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on April 14, 2026, the Central Eighth Inspection Team held a mobilization meeting recently for the inspection work of the Party Committee of the National Medical Products Administration. Tian Xiangli, the head of the Eighth Inspection Team, made a mobilization speech at the meeting, setting forth requirements for the inspection work. Li Li, Party Secretary and Director of the National Medical Products Administration, presided over the meeting and made a speech.
It was reported that the Central Inspection Team will work at the National Medical Products Administration for about two and a half months, and the deadline for accepting petitions is until June 23, 2026. The main focus of these petitions will be on issues related to the leadership team of the Party Committee at the National Medical Products Administration and its members, as well as the primary leaders of the next-level Party organizations.
On April 8, 2026, Xinhua News Agency reported that the seventh round of inspections of 36 units’ CCP Party organizations will be carried out by the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. This includes inspections of Party organizations in five medical and health regulatory agencies, such as the National Health Commission, the National Medical Insurance Bureau, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the National Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control, and the National Drug Administration.
According to the report from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s official website, the ninth Inspection Team held mobilization meetings for the work of the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control. The Eighth Inspection Team also conducted mobilization meetings for the National Medical Products Administration and the National Medical Insurance Bureau.
Prior to the entry of the inspection teams into the five major medical and health regulatory agencies, in recent weeks, there has been a series of investigations resulting in the downfall of officials at the department level in local medical regulatory systems.
Yuan Zhiying, a former Party Committee member, Deputy Director, and Level-One Inspector of the Anhui Health Commission, was investigated on April 13, 2026.
Wang Hua, former Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Health Commission, was investigated on April 8, 2026. Wang Hua previously served as Director and Party Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Director of the Jiangsu Public Health Research Institute, Deputy Director and Party Committee member of the Jiangsu Health Department.
Liu Tiandong, a Party Committee member of the Shandong Health Commission, fell from grace on April 7, 2026. Liu Tiandong had held positions such as Secretary of the Shandong Provincial Communist Youth League Committee and Deputy Secretary-General of the Shandong Provincial Committee.
Shi Yongzhong, a Party Committee member of the Health Commission of Guizhou Province, was investigated on April 3, 2026. Shi Yongzhong had long been in the Guizhou Health Department and served as Deputy Director of the Guizhou Health Commission and Vice President of the Provincial Family Planning Association.
Han Chunli, Party Secretary and Director of the Yiyang Bureau of Medical Insurance, in Liaoning Province, was investigated on March 30, 2026. Han Chunli previously held positions such as Director of the Shenyang Social Medical Insurance Management Bureau and Director of the Medical Insurance Affairs Service Center.