The mainland media revealed that Zhang Xinming, the former “richest man in Shanxi”, was arrested for a year and a half and was prosecuted in late June 2026. He faces 17 charges, including organizing and leading a criminal organization with characteristics of a mafia. Zhang Xinming, who came from the Chinese Communist Party’s armed police, has been involved in multiple cases over the past 20 years and has close ties with high-ranking CCP officials like Zhou Yongkang and the Shanxi political scene, as well as being linked to the case involving the Macau casino boss “Xie Mihua”.
According to a report from the mainland financial news website on August 4, 2026, after being arrested for over a year and a half, Zhang Xinming, the former “richest man in Shanxi”, was prosecuted by the Jincheng City Procuratorate in Shanxi Province at the end of June 2026 for offenses such as organizing and leading a criminal organization with mafia characteristics and operating a casino, among 17 charges.
Previously reported by financial news, on November 4, 2024, Zhang Xinming was taken away by the Jincheng police in Shanxi for alleged extortion and operating a casino, less than a year since his last public appearance, and was arrested on December 10. Also implicated were his brother Zhang Xinyue, his younger brother Zhang Xingliang, as well as over 60 others, including former partner Xie Jiang.
Reported by Economic Observer Network on November 29, 2024, Zhang Xinming, along with his brother Zhang Xinyue, younger brother Zhang Xingliang, spouses, drivers, and others, were taken in by the police for investigation in early November 2024. Zhang Xinming’s alleged crime was operating an illegal casino, connected to the Macau casino boss “Xie Mihua” case. More than a decade ago, Zhang Xinming had established a close relationship with Zhou Zhaohua.
“Xie Mihua”, whose real name is Zhou Zhaohua, is the boss of the Macau Sun City Group, which is involved in various businesses such as casinos, real estate, finance, and tourism. In November 2021, Zhou Zhaohua was arrested; in January 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
According to public records, Zhang Xinming, born in October 1963 in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, entered the Armed Police School in 1986 and served as the Director of the Comprehensive Training Base of the Inner Mongolia Forest Armed Police Corps in 1993. He also concurrently served as the Chairman of the North China Gold Industry Group, a company engaged in the third industry within the armed police system at that time.
In 1999, Zhang Xinming left the armed police system. In December 1998, before leaving the armed police system, Zhang Xinming founded the Shanxi Jin Ye Coal Coking Group Co., Ltd. (referred to as Jin Ye Group). The main business of Jin Ye Group is coal mining, processing coal products, including coking coal required for steel smelting.
In 2005, Zhang Xinming ranked seventh on the “Hurun Energy Rich List” with 1 billion yuan, becoming the richest man in Shanxi Province. He owned assets worth billions at one point, including coal mines, coking plants, power plants, highway transportation, specialized railway lines, and real estate.
Zhang Xinming had a complex relationship with the political and business circles in Shanxi, known as the “Shanxi Gambling King” and the “Second Minister of Taiyuan”. In August 2014, amid continued turmoil in the official circles of Shanxi, Zhang Xinming was taken away by the police for alleged involvement in organized crime, money laundering, etc.; he received medical parole in 2020. According to mainland media reports, two members of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee at the time, Chen Chuanping and Nie Chunyu, who were investigated, were rumored to have been implicated by Zhang Xinming to protect himself.
In 2010, Zhang Xinming was wanted by the public security department of Henan Province for forging passports, illegal departure, and was offered a reward of 5,000 yuan.
Economic Observer Network reported that regarding the fake documents, Zhang Xinming had transactions with Qin Yuhai, the then Vice Governor of Henan Province and Director of the Public Security Bureau, and provided substantial benefits to Qin Yuhai. Qin Yuhai was taken down in September 2014.
Zhang Xinming was also involved in the case of the loss of state-owned assets of the central enterprise China Resources. In 2010, subsidiaries of the central enterprise China Resources Group, China Resources Power Holdings Co., Ltd., and Shanxi China Resources Liansheng Energy Investment Co., Ltd., signed a tripartite agreement with Zhang Xinming, agreeing that China Resources would acquire 80% equity in 10 assets of Jin Ye Group for no more than 7.9 billion yuan. The then Chairman and Party Secretary of China Resources, Song Lin, was a close confidant of the Jiang faction’s heavyweights Zeng Qinghong.
In July 2013, the official state media journalist Wang Wenzhi reported to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for the first time, claiming that Song Lin and other executives of China Resources deliberately caused the loss of several billion yuan in state-owned assets in the hundred-billion-dollar acquisition of Shanxi Jin Ye. Song Lin was taken down in April 2014, and three years later, he was sentenced to 14 years for corruption.
Zhang Xinming had a close relationship with He Jintao, the son of the former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection He Guoqiang. The magazine “Finance and Economics” reported that Zhang Xinming and He Jintao, the son of the former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection He Guoqiang, landed at Wusu Airport, where Jin Daoming, then Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline and Inspection, personally greeted them.
Zhang Xinming was also implicated in a case of buying official positions by having Zhou Bin, the son of Zhou Yongkang, operate to help Ding Xuefeng become the mayor of Lu Liang City. On February 20, 2014, Ding Xuefeng, the mayor of Lu Liang City, was removed from his positions as deputy secretary, and committee member of the Lu Liang City Committee. In March, Jin Daoming, the former secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline and Inspection, was investigated.
It is reported by another media outlet that materials accusing Zhang Xinming of debt evasion, embezzlement, illegal mining, coal sales, and gang extortion were sent to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and after being wanted by multiple provinces, he continued to evade capture, mainly due to former CCP Secretary of Politics and Law Zhou Yongkang’s protection.
According to the Economic Observer, in the equity dispute case of Jin Hai Company, Zhang Xinming bribed the then Vice President of the Supreme People’s Court, Xie Xiaoming, with 18 million yuan, and Xie Xiaoming helped Zhang Xinming win in a series of cases against Luzhong Building and the Coal Transport Yangcheng Company. Xie Xiaoming was taken down in July 2015; in February 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison for bribery.