On July 24, 2026, a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, Fang Xinghai, was placed under investigation. On the same day, ten high-ranking officials at the department level were dismissed, and six department-level officials were also subjected to disciplinary measures. In just 24 days of July, six vice-ministerial level officials have been dismissed.
According to the announcement made by the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission on the evening of July 24, 2026, Fang Xinghai, former member of the party committee and vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is under investigation.
Public records show that Fang Xinghai, born in May 1964 in Leqing, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, has held various positions such as director of the Office of the Coordinating Committee of China Construction Bank Group, Secretary-General of the Business Management Committee of China Galaxy Securities Co., Ltd., Assistant General Manager of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Deputy General Manager, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Financial Services Office, and Director of the Economic Division Four of the Office of the Central Finance and Economics Leading Group. He served as Vice Chairman and member of the party committee of the China Securities Regulatory Commission from October 2015 to July 2024.
On July 24, 2026, the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection also announced the dismissal of ten senior officials at the department level of the CCP Central and local governments, including:
– Liu Hucheng, Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Sports Bureau;
– Peng Shibin, former Deputy Director of Southwest Securities Co., Ltd.;
– Zhong Faliang, Party Secretary of Longyan College, Fujian Province;
– Wang Yongquan, member of the Education Working Committee of the Yunnan Provincial Committee, member of the party group of the Provincial Education Department, and Deputy Director;
– Fu Zhaogeng, member of the 16th People’s Congress Standing Committee of Beijing and former Director of the Agricultural and Rural Bureau;
– Li Jintao, member of the Yantai Municipal Committee of Shandong Province and Deputy Mayor;
– Wang Renhai, former Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Henan Provincial Committee and Party Secretary and Director of the Henan Broadcasting and Television Station;
– Liu Chang, former Deputy Director of the Liaoning Public Resource Trading Center (Liaoning Provincial Government Procurement Center);
– Liu Xianyou, Party Committee member and Deputy General Manager of the Chemical Division of Zhongtian Hechuang Energy Co., Ltd.;
– Liu Kefu, former official at the Bureau level of the North Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Additionally, on July 24, 2026, six senior officials at the department level of the CCP Central and local governments were expelled from the party and removed from public office, including:
– Wu Changyu, former General Manager of Yunnan Energy Investment Co., Ltd. of the Three Gorges Group;
– Zhou Xiqiao, former Chairman of Anhui Civil Aviation Airport Group Co., Ltd.;
– Liu Lin, former Deputy Director of the Fuxin Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee in Liaoning Province;
– Huang Dahui, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Yunfu City Political Consultative Conference in Guangdong Province;
– Wang Zhigang, former Chairman of the Mudanjiang Municipal People’s Political Consultative Conference in Heilongjiang Province;
– Zhao Lijun, former Party Secretary of the Heilongjiang Supply and Marketing Cooperative Society Union.
The official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection discloses almost daily announcements of investigations into officials above the department level. In the 24 days of July 2026 so far, six deputy ministerial level officials have been investigated, including Fang Xinghai and others such as Ouyang Weimin, former Deputy Secretary of the party committee and President of China Development Bank.
In recent interactions, it was revealed that the CCP is accelerating a new round of purges targeting officials deemed “disloyal” to the party. Cleaning up middle-level and lower-level cadres was confirmed in January 2026, and in the second half of the year, these actions are being expedited. The new wave of cleansing paves the way for the personnel arrangements at the CCP’s 21st Congress. High-level personnel appointments will be made next year, and the strategy is to keep these decisions confidential for now. The crackdown on mid-level and lower-level officials might not directly impact senior officials significantly, but it creates a strong deterrent effect.
In March 2026, sources within the system revealed that the number of detainees in prisons and detention centers had significantly increased, with a rise in the number of officials involved in corruption issues. The ongoing anti-corruption campaign is attributed to two main reasons, one being the CCP leadership’s belief that some officials have political loyalty issues and need to be re-evaluated and cleared out. The other reason is the severe financial deficit within the fiscal system, prompting authorities to confiscate the wealth of these officials through anti-corruption measures.