On June 2, 2026, Jiang Zhigang, former executive commissioner of the China Development Bank (CDB), was being investigated. Jiang had long served as the Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Li Xiaolin, the daughter of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, had worked alongside Jiang Zhigang at the Silk Road Planning Research Center and had attended numerous public events together.
The Chinese Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission website announced on June 2, 2026, that Jiang Zhigang, former executive commissioner of the CDB and senior expert committee member, was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and was under investigation.
Jiang Zhigang, with a Ph.D. in Economics and a senior economist, had served as the General Manager of the Guangxi Branch of the CDB, Director of the Research and Development Center, Director of the Business Development Bureau, concurrently a director of the China-Africa Fund, Executive Vice Chairman of the Expert Committee of the National Committee of CPPCC Silk Road Planning Research Center, Deputy Director of the Planning Bureau of the CDB, Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, Vice Chairman of the Healthy China Research Center, and a senior expert of the CDB’s Executive Committee and Expert Committee.
Over the past year, several senior experts from the CDB have fallen from grace. Among them, Wang Xuedong, a former senior expert at the CDB, was investigated in October 2025; in November 2025, Qian Mengzheng, former executive commissioner of the CDB and senior expert committee member, was expelled from the CCP.
Public records show that both Jiang Zhigang and Qian Mengzheng had previously worked in the financial system of Guangxi Province. Jiang Zhigang served as the General Manager of the Guangxi Branch of the CDB from 2005 to 2006, while Qian Mengzheng had held positions such as Deputy General Manager of the Qinzhou Branch of the People’s Bank of China and General Manager of the Nanning Branch of the China Investment Bank before joining the CDB.
It is noteworthy that Jiang Zhigang and the “princeling” Li Xiaolin had worked together at the National Committee of CPPCC Silk Road Planning Research Center during the same period.
According to publicly available information, Jiang Zhigang served as the Vice Chairman of the First and Second Councils of the National Committee of CPPCC Silk Road Planning Research Center from 2016 to 2025. Li Xiaolin held the position of Executive Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center from September 2017 to 2019. During this time, they made several public appearances together.
Li Xiaolin, the daughter of former Chinese Premier Li Peng, was once dubbed the “Electricity Queen.” She had served as the Executive Vice President of China Power Investment Corporation, Chairperson of China Power International Development Limited, Chairperson of China Power New Energy Development Limited, Vice President and Party Committee Member of China Datang Corporation. In May 2018, Li Xiaolin stepped down from her position as Vice President of China Datang Corporation, but continued to be active as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center.
In May 2018, during the 22nd Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Li Xiaolin and Jiang Zhigang, in their capacities as Executive Vice Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center respectively, were invited to participate.
In April 2018, Li Xiaolin attended the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center. During the conference, a forum on the Belt and Road Initiative and the health industry was held by the center, with Jiang Zhigang presiding over the event as the Vice Chairman and Li Xiaolin delivering a speech.
On April 24, 2018, Li Xiaolin, as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, led a delegation for talks at Renmin University of China. Liu Wei, President of Renmin University, along with Vice Presidents Wu Xiaoqiu and Liu Yuanchun, attended the discussion. Jiang Zhigang, Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, also participated in the meeting.
On August 7, 2018, the China Film Association organized the “Belt and Road International Film Cooperation Seminar” in Beijing, announcing the establishment of the “China Film Association Belt and Road Working Committee.” The committee was jointly initiated by organizations such as the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles’ Film Art Center, the National Committee of CPPCC Silk Road Planning Research Center, the Five Continents Communication Center of the Central Propaganda Department, and the National Strategy Think Tank Fund. Jiang Zhigang, as Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, was appointed as the co-chairman alongside other members including Li Xiaolin, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center.
On June 21, 2017, the First Annual Meeting of the Members of the Silk Road Industry and Finance International Alliance was held at the CPPCC Hall, where Jiang Zhigang, Vice Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, and Cao Wenlian, Director of the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, were elected as Co-Chairpersons of the Alliance Board. Chen Yuan, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, Chairman of the Silk Road Planning Research Center, and Chairman of the Alliance Board, as well as Li Xiaolin, a CPPCC member and Vice President of China Datang Group, delivered speeches during the event.
Official documents indicate that the Silk Road Planning Research Center was established in March 2016 as a professional high-end think tank under the administrative guidance of the CPPCC’s Office. It was jointly initiated by the China Development Bank, Tsinghua University, the Silk Road Fund, the China Development Finance Promotion Association, and the China Forty-Forum of Finance to serve the CCP’s Belt and Road Initiative. Chen Yuan, former Chairman of the CDB and son of Chen Yun, a prominent “princeling,” served as the Chairman of the First Council of the Silk Road Planning Research Center.